Law for the Wolves
by 117Jorn
Summary: The Battlestar Mercury and a handful of other vessels survive the Fall of the Twelve Colonies. However after fighting and running from the Cylons for so long, they stumble across a debris field, a space colony, and two fleets of ships. What happens when the Earth Federation and Swords of Freedom must join forces with the Colonials to survive? (Co-Written with Ron the True Fan)
1. Chapter 1

**117Jorn: HELLO people, 117Jorn here with another fanfic for you all! And today, I am joined with the genius behind the famous Battlestar Galactica/Gundam SEED Crossover 'To Hell and Back' as well as dozens of other great fanfics, Ron the True Fan!**

**Ron the True Fan: Thanks for letting me join you, Jorn. This is my first time co-writing a story, and to be honest, I'm kind of nervous.**

**117Jorn: Don't worry about it, Ron! It was the same for me when I started working with DragonKnightRyu and Patriot-112. You'll get use to it. Today, we will be working on a new fic, one inspired by his SEED/Galactica crossover, as well as using a handful of elements from my own two fanfics 'Battlestar Mercury' and 'Swords of Change'! From what we see, this will become the first pure Galactica/U.C Gundam fanfic on the site! **

**Ron the True Fan: And I'm got to say...Hell, it's about F**KING time someone did this.**

**117Jorn: So, without further adieu... let's begin!**

* * *

_**February 4th U.C 0091**_

_**Lagrange 1, approaching Shoal Zone**_

* * *

Two years have passed since the end of the Neo Zeon War, and although Neo Zeon had been defeated, the Earth Sphere was still not at peace. Remnants of Zeon continue to harass the Federation, while others remain in hiding, waiting for their chance to strike once again. However in order to combat this, the Earth Federation had tasked the newly formed 'Londo Bell' task force to find and eliminate these remnants of Zeon.

However, it was clear that the Federation was not what it use to be, as the scars of both the Titans and Neo Zeon were still fresh, and had barely healed. They continued to increase their already firm grasp on the colonies, as old tensions have begun to rise between the Earth Elite and the Spacenoids once again. It was this reason, why the _Argama _and its crew were now leaving Federation space, and entering the infamous Shoal Zone.

On the bridge of the _Argama, _Captain Trisha Hohenheim sighed as she leaned back in her seat. She had just made what could've been the most difficult decision in her career, but now it was too late to turn back now. The _Argama, _now repaired and refitted after the damage she sustained during the Dublin Colony Drop, had been introduced into the Earth Federation's naval forces, with Trisha as its new Captain, along with many other former AEUG members who had joined the Federation after the Neo Zeon were defeated.

However, as they worked with the Federation, things were not improving in the Earth Sphere after the war. In fact, they have slowly been getting worse as the Federation tightens its grip on the colonies, beating down any attempts of Spacenoid Independence movements. Trisha, and most of her crew, were beginning to see disturbing similarities between the Federation and the Titans once again.

Which was why, after launching from Londenion, the Trisha and the rest of the crew of the _Argama _agreed to desert from the Federation.

It was a difficult decision, but it needed to be done. That they all knew, as the _Argama _was not only among one of the most advance ships currently in the Federation Navy along with the _Nahel Argama _and the newer _Ra Calium-_class, and had in its possession several of the more advanced mobile weaponry used as well, that they would like to avoid falling into the wrong hands.

"Reports coming in from Commander Cypher," said the _Argama's_ ECM Operator, Guy Stewart, known by his callsign 'Snake Pit'. "No contacts yet, and sensors are still clean here Captain."

"Keep your eyes peeled Snake," Trisha said, "Its going to be only a matter of time before the Federation sends their pursuit force after us." She then glanced at the officer on Communications "Patch me a Comm with Talisman."

The Comm. Officer nodded as he keyed the proper commands. On the front vid screen appeared Commander John "Talisman" Cypher, the leader of the _Argama's _M.S Complement. "Commander Talisman," She said, "Are you sure your contacts are going to help us?"

"_Don't worry, they'll be here._" John said, "_I sent them a message before we left Londenion, they know we're coming so they'll no doubt send a welcoming party once we enter the Shoal Zone._"

Trisha sighed "We're taking an awful risk here John," she said, "We won't be able to maneuver around much in the Shoal Zone with all that debris."

"_We won't have to maneuver around it, Captain._" John said, grinning a bit "_Trust me, will ya? Go ahead and plot the course inside the Shoal Zone._"

"Very well," Trisha said, turning to their Helmsman "Helm, plot course eight-one-zero into the Shoal Zone," She said, "Retract Gravity Blocks and have the AM/AMS Defense systems online to shoot down stray debris."

"Aye Captain!" The Helmsman said, as he turned the wheel of the _Argama _to Starboard, as the Assault/Landing ship proceeded into the Shoal Zone.

Trisha watched as John's flight of Mobile Suits, four MSZ-006A1 Zeta Plus A1's colored Dark Green with Red Trimming and his own MSZ-006A2 Zeta Plus A2 with reversed coloring, Red with Dark Green Trimming, flew next to the bridge in an escorting formation, in waverider mode.

The _Argama _moved through the Shoal Zone, the wrecks of both Zeon and Federation warships and M.S floating by them, along with the debris of countless colonies and civilian craft. The Zeta's lead by John's flight helped keep any larger pieces of debris from crashing into the _Argama._ Passing the bridge was what appeared to be wrecked MS-06C Zaku II, all four of its limbs cut off, the head hanging limply from the cable connecting it to the rest of the MS and a blast of a beam weapon embedded in its torso section right where the cockpit would be.

'_Let's hope we don't end up part of this debris field like him..._' she thought to herself. However, as the _Argama _moved further and further into the debris field, they did not see following them a fair distance away outside their sensors, was a RMS-119 EWAC "Eye-Zack", its Mono-eye flashing and moving left to right.

As she looked out at the debris field, she noticed something out of place. A short distance from the _Argama, _was what looked like a _Pegasus-_class Assault Carrier, of the Flight III design. It wasn't surprising to see yet another ship in the debris field, but what had her confused is that the ship looked remarkably intact.

"Captain, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" The Helmsman said, as Trisha nodded. "I do. A _Pegasus_-Class ship, out here?" Snake Pit looked at the screen attached to his console. "It's got to be a Flight-III _Albion_ Sub-class, but there's only one of those." Everyone knew what he was saying. They were looking at the famous MSC-07 _Albion_, the ship that tried (and failed) to stop the colony drop operation that was the climax of Operation Stardust.

Suddenly, lights began to flicker on the _Albion, _as the supposed 'dead' vessel came to life. Then two more ships appeared out of the debris: a _Salamis Kai_-Class light cruiser, clearly heavily modified with side-mounted catapults and a _Musai Kai_, late of the Principality of Zeon.

"_Attention_, Argama." A voice said over the Comm of the Bridge"_This is Captain Eiphar Synapse of the_ Albion. _Recall your Mobile Suits or we will consider you a hostile vessel and respond in kind_."

Trisha turned to Snake. "Open a channel to the _Albion_ and recall our Mobile Suits. While we have them outmatched-" She instantly thought of the Hyper Mega Particle Cannon that was mounted ad-hoc to her ship. "I'd rather not get into a firefight." Snake got to work. "_Argama_ to Commander Cypher: return to the ship. Repeat, return to the _Argama _ASAP."

The flight of limited production Zeta Gundam-type Mobile Suits turned back, not wanting to cause an incident with the people that were supposed to be their future allies. Trisha picked up the handset attached to her chair's armrest and put it to her ear. "This is Captain Trisha Hohenheim, captain of the _Argama_. We are non-hostile. Repeat, we are non-hostile. We are not an Earth Federation warship. In fact, we came looking for you." The Mock Trojan Horse drifted closer to the real one as the Zeta Pluses landed on the _Argama's _decks and quickly made it back inside.

"_Captain, as much as we may trust Mr. Cypher's word, how can we be sure that you're not trying to trick us?_" Synapse said, "_After all, your ship is a known ally of the Earth Federation through the AEUG, which has been reformed into Londo Bell_."

Trisha scoffed. "So, it could be said, of the _Albion_, which tried to stop a colony drop, what, 8 years ago now?"

Synapse's voice turned somber over the radio. "_7 and a half. Are you sure you weren't followed? While I am sure you believe you were not, I simply wish to be sure, as the Federation doesn't take kindly to rebels, which we clearly are_." A chuckle was heard over the speakers.

"All too true." She looked at the radar and heat sensors mounted on the ceiling. According to them, the only things out there were the _Argama_, the _Albion_ and her two strange bedfellows. But ever since the One Year War, (Or Zeon War of Independence, whatever you wanted to call it) Minovsky particles screwed with long range scans like paint on a window. "We seem to be clear, Captain Synapse. Please, lead us in."

Nothing was heard over the radio, but they all saw the Albion begin turning to port, along with her escorts. "_Follow us in, Captain. And don't stray too far, or we won't be able to find you again. We lost three ships that way and I'm not willing to have you as the fourth_!"

"Don't worry, we won't." Trisha said, as they turned off the Comm. She nodded to the Helmsman who nodded in return, as the _Argama _accelerated to catch up with the _Albion _and her escorts.

"Well, that's one step." She said with a sigh, "Let's hope we can stay on their friendly side."

"Don't worry 'bout it Cap," John's voice said, as Trisha turned to see him approach her, still in his Normal suit. "As long as we don't betray their trust, they won't betray us in return."

"I hope so, John." Trisha said, with a sigh.

* * *

_**Later**_

_**Shoal Zone**_

* * *

The three ships continued to lead the _Argama _through the Shoal Zone, expertly avoiding stray debris in their way, as they moved deeper and deeper into the debris field. Trisha could see much of the crew was on edge, not just about deserting, but also worrying about stray debris crashing into the _Argama._

However, as they got deeper, surprisingly some of the debris began to clear up. And at long last, they approached a segment of the Shoal Zone that was surprisingly tidied up. But what was there was what shocked everyone on the bridge.

Right in the middle of the area of space was a Space Colony, and a surprisingly _large _one at that. It looked like two Island-3 O'Neill Colony types were merged together on their ends, one a open type, and the other a close type, and in-between the two colonies, circling around them at where the colonies connected, was a Stanford Torus-type colony.

Trisha didn't know what to say, as she didn't know what she was looking at. The Comm officer punched through the _Albion _as Synapse appeared on the screen again. "_Captain Hohenheim,_" he said, "_I welcome you to the Headquarters of the Swords of Freedom, the Garden of Thorns._"

"Garden of Thorns?" Trisha asked, "Who the hell gave it that name?"

"_Delaz._" Synapse answered, "_This was his former headquarters before and during Operation Stardust. It's rather ironic that we chose this place as our base._" The bridge crew spotted at least six _Musai Kai_-class light cruisers, a pair of Musai Late Production Types, an _Alexandria_-Class heavy cruiser and a massive vessel that could only be a _Dolos_-Class heavy carrier.

"Definitely a mixed fleet" Snake Pit said, "EFSF warships alongside Zeon ones? There was once a time where there was only one way that was happening: shooting at one another and trying to kill each other."

Trisha looked at the man on the screen. "I think we need to speak face to face, Captain." She said.

"_Agreed._" The screen went blank, and the captain looked at her helmsman. "Find a docking port." She said, "Hopefully they still have one or two places that are common to other colonies, otherwise we're going to be here for a good long while."

"Yes, ma'am."

The _Argama_ followed the _Albion_ into a docking port, whose doors opened as the ships approached. Both ships entered the port, and shortly after the hatches closed behind them, allowing air to be let in and the ships to enter the main harbor. Inside were dozens of warships: a _Trafalgar_-class assault carrier, two _Magellan Kai_-class battleships, another _Alexandria_-class heavy cruiser, a pair of _Chivvay Kai_-class heavy cruisers and at least 6 _Salamis Kai_-class cruisers.

"The Delaz Fleet was slaughtered almost to the last man." Trisha muttered to herself, "Some of these have to be Neo-Zeon."

"Argama_, this is Port Control._" The Comm crackled to life once again. "_Please come to bearing 021: there's an open berth for you. Slow to 005: our auto-docking system's fried, so you're going to have to do this manually. Call the ball._"

The helmsman nodded. "Copy that, Port Control. Speed, 005, bearing 021. Manual docking confirmed: we have the ball." The _Argama_'s retro thrusters fired six times, slowing the warship down while she turned. The _Albion_ went to another berth, slowing completely before docking.

"Argama, _decrease speed_."

"Copy, Port Control: decreasing speed, coming to a dead stop." The _Argama_ stopped completely as a docking arm secured the ship and an umbilical was attached to the airlock on the port side.

Trisha got out of her chair. "Alright, I'll go speak with Captain Synapse. Until I come back, no one leaves the ship. John, you're with me: you know these people better than I do, so it's best that you come with me."

John nodded. "Good idea." he said, as they began to head for the exit of the bridge "I'll follow your lead Cap."

* * *

_**Later, **_

_**Garden of Thorns Hangar**_

* * *

Trisha and John left the _Argama, _as they passed through the air locks which lead them into the port. Outside, they were quickly greeted by several soldiers, wearing both Federation and Zeon uniforms, as well as Captain Synapse himself. The two approached the legendary captain, and saluted. "Permission to come aboard, Captain?"

"Permission granted, Captain Hohenheim." Synapse stuck out his hand and Trisha quickly took it, shaking it like a lifeline.

"I see you've been busy." She said, as she looked around the Port "How the hell did you manage to find a Stanford Torus-type? Those things are rare as all hell nowadays, and from the look of things, it's in VERY good condition."

Synapse chuckled a bit "You'd be surprised." he said, "Zar and Nasha will want to brief you on what's going on and why we're doing this."

Trisha nodded. "Very well." She said, as she followed Synapse as they headed into the colony's interior. As they walked deeper into the colony, they entered the living spaces of the colony, where they passed hundreds of military personnel and, surprisingly, a large number of civilians.

"Who are all of these people?" Trisha asked, and Synapse quickly answered "Families of the crews, and other members of our group." He said, "We were afraid the Federation was going to hurt them or use them as bargaining chips or hostages against us, so we brought them in to be safe."

Trisha chuckled. "Regular forces don't work like that usually, and I doubt _Bright Noa_ of all people is going to order his people to act like the Titans." She said. "Still, safeguarding your families is a wise idea."

Eventually they boarded a tram system, which took them deeper into the colony. They watched as the Tram moved across the Open-type segment of the colony, where they saw large amounts of agricultural facilities, including large farms and some housing. They could see that it seemed that the majority of their food supplies come from this segments of the colony. They then passed into the close-type segment, which seemed much more industrialized with factories, apartments, markets and other structures one would expect from a busy city.

Trisha and John watched as they entered the Stanford Torus area of the hybrid colony, which was clearly the military sector of the whole place. The majority of the people were obviously military, as they could see M.S Armories, production facilities, and more. John himself could see a small clearing, where it seemed some MS-06T Zaku Trainers were in a mock fight with TGM-79 GM Trainers.

"Amazing how much you seem to have..." Trisha said, "Where do you get all of this?"

"The Garden of Thorns is very self-sufficient, although we had to bring in most of the equipment ourselves, as Delaz's forces were less numerous." Synapse answered, "Most of the mobile weapons and ships we use are salvaged from what we find in the Shoal Zone, bring back here to either be repaired, or scrapped to build new ones. And we scavenge them for any other useful items, like food, water and such. Though we make most of our food in the Open-type segment of the colony as you've seen."

Finally, the tram came to a stop as they disembarked. They found themselves before a large building which looked like the Headquarters. Synapse and the guards quickly lead them inside, where they passed the reception desk and into the facility.

Eventually, the Guards left them as they entered a well sized meeting room, with a large T.V screen at the end which currently was displaying the area outside the Shoal Zone **(AN: Think the room where Mason meets Kennedy in Black Ops).** Inside the room, there were two other individuals inside, both a man and a woman.

"Commanders," Synapse said, "The _Argama _and its crew has arrived. This is Captain Hohenheim and Commander Cypher."

The woman chuckled a bit, "It took you long enough, John." She said, glancing around to face them. "And its a pleasure to meet you, Captain Hohenheim."

"Its a pleasure to meet you as well." Trisha said, glancing at John "But, I hope you can explain to me... just who are you people?"

"She is Nasha Artemis, and I am Zar Hellfury." The man said, stepping forward as well. "We, are the Swords of Freedom. We're a resistance movement founded on the same principles as the AEUG and Karaba, only myself and Nasha here created SOF a year after the One Year War ended. We're made up of members of both sides of the conflict: Federation soldiers who saw the Earth Elite becoming greedy and corrupt, and Zeon forces who wanted true Independence and not the dogmatic views of Spacenoid Supremacy that Gihren Zabi demanded. After Operation: Stardust when we found the Garden of Thorns, our strength grew exponentially as we now have a genuine base to use. And it came at a perfect time as the Titans came into power."

"During the war with the Titans, we fought with groups like Karaba and AEUG," Nasha said, "Albeit we couldn't do much back then until much later in the conflict, so we kept to providing support in the shadows. But we have been gaining strength steadily as time went on, and as you've must have seen we have grown quite a bit since we first found the Garden of Thorns."

"Yeah, that's an understatement..." Trisha said, "You've got ships and M.S dating back to the One Year War, yet they look modified at the same time."

Zar just smirked a bit "They're all just M.S modernized to keep up with the times," he said, "GM Kai's, Zaku I's, all those and more are simply updated to the standards of units like GM III's, Marasai's and so forth. We don't let anything go to waste here."

"Like your additions to the colony itself?" Trisha asked, as Nasha smirked and nodded. "Yes," she said. "Originally the Garden of Thorns was just a damaged Island 3 Open-type, but we found damaged remains of a Close-type and a Stanford Torus, and we merged them together to increase population and production capacity."

"And living space." Trisha commented, "You've got enough people here to start a nation of your own."

Zar shook his head. "That's not why we're doing this." He said, as Nasha took in a breath and spoke up.

"About four years ago, we discovered a link between the Earth Federation and an organization called the Vist Foundation, an art dealership. After a lot of investigative work, we discovered that the Vist Foundation actually has more control of the Federation then the Assembly itself."

Trisha's eyes widened in shock. "That's nightmare fuel. How are they doing it? Blackmail? Extortion?"

Zar chuckled at Trisha's naivety. "It's a hell of a lot more complicated than that." He said, "We don't know how. But they've been doing it since the early days of the Universal Century."

Trisha did not look convinced. "Define 'early'." She asked.

"UC 0010 to UC 0001 at the earliest, 0025 at the latest." Trisha was about to ask more, but alarm klaxons started going off all over the colony.

"Oh, crap." Zar walked over to a phone and picked it up. "What? You're sure? Damn it!" He sighed. "Mobilize as many ships as you can. Get ready to evacuate if need be." He hung up.

"What's going on?" John asked.

"It looks like you were followed." Zar said causing the others eyes to widen "There's an EFSF task force closing in on the Shoal Zone, and it looks like they're out for blood."

Trisha and John got up from their seats. "We should get back to our ship immediately." Trisha said, "We caused this mess. We should at least try to clean it up."

Nasha pointed out another door. "There's an emergency tram that leads back to the port on the other side of the building." She said, "It's kind of dangerous because it's on the outside of the colony, but it does its' job in a pinch."

All four men and women walked out of the room, where they found an airlock. "Get a normal suit on." Zar warned, "There's no atmosphere in the E-Lift, as we like to call it."

Trisha chuckled. "Hell of a first day on the job, isn't it?" She asked, as Zar actually laughed out loud at that. "When isn't it!" He retorted as they quickly suited up and entered the airlock, as soon as it depressurized, they entered the rather exposed lift. It had four seats with heavy duty harnesses. "Please tell me this isn't magnetically accelerated." Trisha groaned, as Nasha smirked.

"Hate to say it, but it is!" She said, "Strap in, because otherwise you're going flying when we come to a stop!"

Trisha groaned, but took a seat, seeing as they needed to get to the _Argama _fast. As soon as they were secure, Nasha pushed a button and the lift launched along the side of the colony like a Mobile Suit taking off from a warship, with John shouting at the top of his lungs "YEEHAW!". As they didn't have to circle around, it was much faster then taking the tram. On the other hand, as there was almost zero protection, it was much more dangerous. But if it got them to their ship in time without getting them killed, it was worth the risk.

Eventually, they arrived at the port's outer airlock. "Remind me never to do that again." Trisha muttered, as Zar opened the hatch and all four entered the airlock. "We're closest to the _Albion_, and the _Argama's _right beside her! Go!" They split up, with Zar and Nasha going to the _Albion _while John and Trisha got back to the _Argama _as fast as they could.

* * *

_**Earth Federation Space Forces Nahel Argama-Class warship Phoenix**_

_**Same Time**_

* * *

Quickly approaching the Garden of Thorns, passing through the debris field was the Federation Task Force. A battle group consisting of about sixteen vessels, including four _Salamis Kai-_class Cruisers, three _Nelson-_class Cruisers, three _Irish-_class Battleships, two _Alexandria-_class Heavy Cruisers, two _Clop-_class Cruisers, a _Ra Cailum-_class Battleship, and leading the formation, was the only other _Nahel Argama-_class vessel in existence thus far, the SCVA-77 _Phoenix._

On the bridge of the _Phoenix, _Captain Rachel Milsteen sighed "Are we sure that they came this way?" She asked, "Recon could've mistaken them for debris with everything here..."

"Recon reported 91% Accuracy, Captain." The Operator said, "If they're not here, where else are they-Contact!" He suddenly shouted, "I've got two ships on approach!"

"Red Alert!" Rachel shouted, as Klaxon alarms went off "Deploy Mobile Suits and arm defenses! What are we dealing with?"

"I've got a _Musai-_class Late Production type and a... _Salamis Kai_-class?" The operator said sounding confused, "They're... they're closing fast, in formation!"

"Contact the _Musashi _and the _Stockholm_ to take care of them," The Captain said, referring to the _Ra Cailum-_class and one of the _Salamis Kai's_ in the fleet. "It looks like the _Argama _has made a few friends."

* * *

_**Meanwhile**_

**Musai-**_**class Late Production type Light Cruiser '**_**Hell Hawk**_**'**_

* * *

"_Enemy fleet bearing seven three zero!_" The Intercom sounded onboard the _Hell Hawk,_ "_Two vessels are breaking off to intercept us, _Ra Cailum-_class and a _Salamis Kai-_class. All Mobile Suits are cleared for launch!_"

"Alright, you heard em, let's go!" Shouted a pilot in a black and red version of a Zeon Normal suit "Its time to kick the tires and light the fires! Is my Gouf ready?"

"All ready sir!" Shouted one of the engineers that was inspecting a black and red colored Gouf. "She's all ready for ya! Give em hell Jaden!"

Jaden Takeo smirked as he entered the cockpit of his MS-07B-3H10 Gouf All-Regions type, his custom-built Gouf which can operate just as well in space as it does in atmosphere. He activated the Panoramic cockpit as the Mono-eye sensors activated. '_Its been getting boring around here anyways,_' He thought as he moved the Gouf into launching position. "Jaden Takeo, Gouf All Regions type, launching!"

The Gouf launched from the _Musai_-Class cruiser, followed by a mixed force of Zakus, GM Is and a pair of Hizacks from both the _Hell Hawk_ and the _Waterloo_. Their opponents were less varied, but more up to date: the RGM-86R GM III and the more maneuverable RGM-89 Jegan. And while the OYW-era MSs had been upgraded greatly, uprating the existing reactors was impossible: they still had shell-firing machine guns, which were almost useless against the newer EFSF Mobile Suits.

The newer GMs and Jegans opened fire with their beam rifles, forcing the SOF teams to evade and rethink how they were going to take out the enemy Mobile Suits. Thankfully, they had more maneuverability thanks to the extra thrusters that were installed on all of them. But while they were all a match for the GM IIIs, they were cannon fodder for the Jegans.

Of course, that only applied if they were on equal terms. They weren't. The Jegan pilots were barely a few weeks out of the Academy while Jaden and his team had been doing this for years.

But that wasn't the problem. The _Ra-Cailum_-Class was the problem. Even if the _Salamis Kais_ fought each other to a standstill, the _Hell Hawk_ wouldn't stand a chance against that _Ra-Cailum_. It was a battleship, and every time a battleship met a light cruiser in combat, the light cruiser always lost. And while Mobile Suits dominated the battlefield, without support from a warship, a warship and a newbie team of MS pilots could kill even the best veteran pilots.

"_Boss, we need to fall back! _Ra-Cailum's_ closing in, and I don't think we want to find out what happens when a Musai meets one of those!_" One of the Zaku's from the _Hell Hawk _said, as Jaden's 35mm machine guns opened fire on a Jegan, who simply used the shield to block the burst. But Jaden then fired his heat wire which grappled onto the shield and yanked it out of its grasp. Quickly afterwards he fired a long burst from his 75mm Gatling shield which blasted off the Jegan's head and damaged its right shoulder. Drawing out his heat saber Jaden closed the distance between him and the Jegan, before he sliced off its intact left arm and kicked it away.

Jaden then nudged his Gouf to the side, avoiding the beam rifle blast of a GM II which charged at him guns blazing. Jaden just rolled his eyes '_Amateur,_' he thought as he sped upwards and shot his heat-wire at the GM II, and sent a electronic charge through it which quickly disabled the unit. He glanced around, and his sensors quickly picked up more M.S from the _Ra Cailum _approaching. "Fall back!" He ordered, at the very moment he said that, the _Ra-Cailum_ opened fire with its two topside Beam cannons, as four beams streaked towards the _Hell Hawk._

Weather it was by luck or by the _Ra Cailum's_ poor aim, only two of the four shots connected with the _Hell Hawk, _which only hit its number one turret. The turret exploded, but it did not destroy the _Hell Hawk _with it, so the damage was light. "Hell Hawk_ to all MS teams: fall back into the debris field!_" The Captain said "_Commander Hellfury's got an idea and we need to be out of the line of fire!_"

"Copy that, _Hell Hawk!_" Jaden said, as he maneuvered his Gouf to avoid the rocket fire from another Jegan "You heard the man, people: fall the fuck back!" A beam from the Ra-Cailum soared past the MS team, hitting and destroying a Zaku II. "Yeah, we need to run! MOVE IT!"

* * *

**Former Earth Federation Space Forces warship Argama,**

**departing Garden of Thorns**

* * *

"Hold on a second so I can scream." Trisha took in a breath and prepared to rant. "THAT'S THE CRAZIEST IDEA I'VE EVER HEARD!"

"_It's rather sane, actually, Captain._" Zar said on the screen with Nasha standing beside him on the bridge of the _Albion_ with Captain Synapse in the background. "_The Argama's Hyper Mega Particle Cannon-_" Zar glanced at Nasha, "_That's a bit of a mouthful when its said._" he mentioned as Nasha chuckled. "_Either way, that super-gun can take out that Ra-Cailum-Class ship easily. Once it is out of the way, we can take on the remaining ships in the enemy fleet._"

Trisha shook her head. "Commander, you clearly need new intel." She said, "One of the ships in that fleet is a _Nahel Argama_-Class assault carrier! Not only is it an upgraded version of this ship, but it also has a H.M.P Cannon."

"Even so, we have to hold them off." Zar said as he smirked "I'm going to sortie and assist Lieutenant Commander Takeo. Hopefully, he hasn't gotten himself killed."

Trisha blinked. "You're a pilot?" She asked, as his smirk grew. "Not just a pilot." He said, "I'm the man that trained Char Aznable!"

The comm window blinked off, leaving a very shocked Trisha and bridge crew "Well, we might just stand a chance." She said as she looked at the sensor screen above her head, which displayed the Garden of Thorns fleet deploying into battle formation, launching Mobile Suits as they moved. On the other side of the sensors was the Federation fleet, quickly approaching the colony.

She sighed "Odds still don't look good," She muttered, "Most of the ships in this fleet are out of date and there just aren't that many modern Mobile Suits. It's like the Philippine Air Force against the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1941 AD, or the Battle of Berlin in 1945. We've got numbers, but that's not going to be any help with almost all of them being One Year War-era Mobile Suits."

"_Hey, Cap!_" A voice shouted, as she looked at the Comm screen again where John's face was on it, smirking "_Don't underestimate SOF just yet, I told you all of their M.S are updated to modern standards after all, right? One of their Zaku II's could keep up with a Jegan in the hands of a half-decent pilot! As long as we're alive, there will always be a chance!_"

Trisha smiled a bit before she nodded. "Right. Helm, flank speed! Prepare to fire Hyper Mega Particle Cannon!" She ordered, "Target: _Ra-Cailum_-Class warship!"

"Yes, ma'am! Preparing to fire Hyper Mega Particle Cannon!" The Fire Control officer shouted, as Trisha sat back in her seat. "And launch all Mobile Suits." She ordered, "We may be outmatched, but maybe numbers WILL win this fight." Everyone got to work, getting ready to fight once again.

* * *

**Earth Federation Space Forces Nahel Argama-Class warship SCVA-77 Phoenix**

* * *

"Prepare to fire Hyper Mega Particle Cannon." Rachel sighed as she looked at the old warship "Target the _Argama_. As much as I want to take her intact... They chose to fight. That means that we are free to open fire on them and destroy them."

"Yes, ma'am. Activating Hyper Mega Particle Cannon." The CIC officer said, "Targeting former AEUG warship _Argama_." The HMPC on the _Phoenix_ charged faster than the one on the Argama, but like the one on the _Argama_, it was mounted directly to the hull.

* * *

_**Former Earth Federation Space Forces warship Argama**_

* * *

"Uh, Captain? Picking up an energy buildup from the Nahel Argama!" Snake pit shouted "They're charging their Hyper Mega Particle Cannon!"

Trisha looked at Snake Pit. "Who are they targeting?!" She asked, even though she already knew the answer as he looked at the captain of the former AEUG flagship.

"Us. They're targeting US." He said, as Trisha's eyes narrowed as she looked at the screen, as the newer warship turned to face the its ancestor.

"What's the charge of the Cannon?" She asked Fire Control.

"75% and climbing!" He replied.

"Ma'am, _Nahel Argama-_class shows its almost at 90%!" Snake Pit warned, "Its Cannon has a better charge than ours!"

"Change Target!" Trisha ordered, "Redirect fire to the _Nahel Argama-_class! We need to destroy it before it fires its own cannon!"

"Yes Ma'am!"

* * *

_**Meanwhile, in space**_

* * *

The _Hell Hawk _managed to limp back to the fleet with the _Waterloo,_ as Jaden and his team moved to link up with Zar "This is Lieutenant Commander Jaden Takeo to Garden of Thorns!" He said, "Zar, you reading me?"

"_Loud and clear kid,_" Zar's voice sounded on the comms, as Jaden saw on the screen a MS-19 Dolmel colored Red and Gold approach with a team of Red and Black colored MS-14F Gelgoog Marines. "_Glad your still alive and kicking!_"

Jaden just grinned "You know me Commander," he said, "I'm hard to kill! But we got bigger things to worry about." His sensors went off, as he looked at the _Nahel Argama _and _Argama _face off, as their H.M.P Cannons lined up for their shots, energy sparking around them.

Suddenly, both Zar and Jaden felt massive jolts to the back of their spines, "Zar, did you-" Jaden began.

"_I did,_" Zar said, "_Everyone, move out! We gotta stop that ship from firing-_"

Before he could finish that sentence, the _Nahel Argama-_class fired its main cannon. However at the same time, the _Argama _fired its own cannon blast. It was at that moment, that a one-in-a-million event occurred. At any other time, the two blasts would of missed one another, and hit the vessels they were targeting. However, despite the odds, somehow both beams collided with one another in mid-flight to their targets.

Sparks flew, lighting seemed to blast everywhere as a bright blast of light appeared in the center of where the two beams had collided. "_WHAT THE FUCK?_" Zar shouted, "_WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON?_"

"My Sensors are going haywire!" Jaden shouted, "The Fuck's going on?"

Suddenly, the bright light within the mass of energy began to grow, and became brighter and larger as it expanded at a massive rate. Jaden, Zar, Nasha, Synapse, Trisha, John, Rachel and every other captain and commander on the field, shouted almost the exact same thing on their comms.

"EVERYONE BRACE!" Before suddenly, the light seemed to speed up, before it engulfed the _Argama, _the _Phoenix, _the SOF/Federation Fleet, their Mobile Suits, the Garden of Thorns, and a large part of the Shoal Zone around them were engulfed into the light. Anyone on earth who looked up in the sky would of noticed a bright shining star in the sky. And when the light subsided, The fleets, the colony, and everything else inside the light disappeared

* * *

**117Jorn: And there you go! Chapter 1/Prologue is complete! **

**Ron the True Fan: Don't forget to review! And remember, every time you do- (camera turns to face a Cavil in an airlock) A Cavil is introduced to the vacuum of space by either myself or Jorn!**

**117Jorn: To prove our point... *Pushes big red button as the Cavil is sucked out the airlock* there, and we've got plenty more where he came from!**

**Ron the True Fan: And when we find Cain, she's next! Ja Ne, folks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**117Jorn: HELLO Everyone! And we are here once again with Ron the True Fan with another chapter of 'Law for the Wolves!'**

**Ron the True Fan: Today, we bring you to the other half of this crossover: The 2003 reimagining of Battlestar Galactica! This will also feature my creation, the Colonial Corps of Engineers, or CCE, and my flagship character, Major Ronald Pinkerton.**

**117Jorn: Hellz Yeah! The guy who made THAB amazing. **

* * *

_**Cyrannus System, Helios Beta, **_

_**Ouranos Asteroid Belt **_

* * *

Within the space of the Ouranos Asteroid belt of Helios Beta, a small fleet of ships floated just outside the asteroid belt in a standard formation. The three vessels were clearly Battlestars from their designs, specifically one _Mercury-_class Battlestar, flanked and escorted by two _Jupiter-_class Battlestars. **(117 AN: In the 10th chapter of **_**The Science of Battlestar Galactica, Galactica**_** is referred to as a **_**Jupiter**_**-class battlestar by the VFX artist who designed her, so that's what we're calling the class here) (RON AN: While I will forever consider **_**Galactica **_**the first of her breed, seeing as most of the time, books aren't canon material. I will not contend that here, though: it's not my story, I'm just helping)**

The _Mercury-_class was none other than the very vessel of her class, the BS-60 _Mercury,_ and her two escorting vessels were the BS-78 _Gallia,_ and BS-79 _Athena._ In the CIC segment of the _Mercury, _Commander Sasha Urei tapped her fingers on the central map of CIC, before she stroked a stray strand of hair out of her face and behind her ear "ETA on the CCE ships?" She asked one of the Operators.

"Ma'am, they should be here momentarily." The Operator said, "We should be out of here soon once they arrive."

Sasha let out a small sigh, but nodded. A few hours ago, there was an incident in the _Mercury's_ port flight pod_:_ they had deployed a Raptor for a training exercise, however when it launched a Drone it had malfunctioned and got jammed in one of the flight pod struts before exploding. For any other vessel in the _Mercury-_class this wouldn't have been a problem. However the _Mercury _herself still practiced the use of retracting its flight pods _before _activating her FTL drive.

Thankfully however, they were spared from needing to limp back to the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards by a stroke of luck. A fleet from the Colonial Corps of Engineers (CCE) was within communication range. They had the materials needed to repair the flight pod struts to make an FTL Jump, so all they needed to do now was await their arrival.

There was one issue, however: the man in charge of the whole operation was insane. The man was Major Ronald 'Psycho' Pinkerton, head of the CCE and the man who practically built the Colonial Fleet after the war. His father, Kevin, was responsible for finalizing the Model 0005 Centurions, and to redeem his family's name and erase his father's mistakes, the Major dedicated his life to making sure it would never happen again. In this pursuit, however, the man lost his marbles, so it speak. To be perfectly honest, he was fraking nuts.

But if Commander William Adama said he was the best, then the man was the best. "Commander, I've got a group of ships on DRADIS. Lead ship is the _Marathon_." Said the DRADIS Operator. While flagship of the CCE was the Battlestar _Athena_, a modified _Mercury_-Class Battlestar, for field repairs the _Marathon_, a modified _Jupiter_-Class Battlestar, was normally used. And they were lucky (or unlucky) enough to have the Major himself on board. They also had a small fleet with them: an _Orion_-Class Pocket Battlestar, (_Vulture_) two _Catamaran_-class Supply/Tender Ships (_Recovery _and _Valiant_) and a trio of _Defender_-Class corvettes. (_Yoshiyuki Tomino, Takeo Watanabe _and _Yoshikazu Yasuhiko_) All were highly modified, carrying more advanced projectile weapons and advanced DRADIS-guided Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) turrets. While the _Marathon _was smaller then _Mercury_, Sasha was a bit jealous. Those ships were nigh-missile proof.

"Commander, Raptor 0219 is inbound. Major Pinkerton is on it, and is requesting to meet with you ASAP." The Comm Operator said as Sasha glanced at him. "Were those his exact words?" She asked, and the wireless operator shook his head. "What he said is not to be repeated in good company, ma'am." He said, as she chuckled. "Well, at least the Major knows how to make someone laugh. Tell the Marines to escort him to CIC when he comes on board."

"Aye, ma'am."

* * *

_**Battlestar Mercury, Starboard Flight Pod**_

* * *

When Raptor 0219 entered the hangar, no one knew what to think of her. It looked like a mix of a Cylon War War-era Raptor and an FTL drive-equipped model. And they would be right: it was a mix of both, fitting the longer fuselage, 'Toaster Slayer' aft cannon and thrust vectoring engines to an FTL equipped model. And inside was a man that was not to be screwed with. The hatch opened, and out came a dark blonde man at 6'3 wearing a CCE-issue midnight blue uniform. "Well, I see they've given her a new coat of paint since I was last on board." He said to himself.

"Major Pinkerton?" A voice said as he faced a pair of Marines. "Ah, the Commander's in CIC, so she sent you to pick me up, did she?" He asked as they nodded, "Don't bother. I designed this ship, so I know it better than you do. I'll find my way to CIC." He walked off, climbing a flight of stairs to the upper levels of the catwalk. To compare their knowledge of the ship, the Marines would have taken five minutes to reach CIC. Instead, Ron took three. He opened the doors to CIC and saluted the Commander. "Major Ronald Pinkerton, reporting as ordered, ma'am." He said before he dropped the salute. "I see you broke my ship."

Sasha sighed a bit "I... suppose that the easiest way of saying it," she said, as she returned the salute "Its an honor to have you onboard Major Pinkerton. Starboard Flight pod strut was damaged by a malfunctioning drone launched from a Raptor."

"I saw that on my flight over. I'm sickened by it. Which idiot was responsible for maintenance on that thing?" Ronald said with a sigh "With due respect, Commander, I thought accidents never happened under your command." He pulled out a file. "The whole time you have commanded _Mercury_, not one piece of equipment has failed, be it on a plane or on the ship itself." He closed the folder. "And now, because your crew got complacent, I have to fix the ship I built." He glanced around CIC. "Before I do shit, though, I want you to disconnect the network and erase the Command Navigation Program from your computers, then network them to Cylon War era standards."

Sasha blinked in surprise at the last order "Why is that, Major?" She asked curiously. "Because I don't trust Gaius Baltar's work or the man himself." He responded "Besides, half the code isn't even his."

"Half of the coding?" Sasha asked in surprise, this was news to her and everyone else in CIC. "What do you mean by that, Gaius made the CNP by himself!"

"Commander, I have worked with the bastard before." He said, "I know his coding like the back of my hand. Half of it is his. The rest is too clean, too neat to be his. He had help. And dare I say, she's almost as good as me."

"She?" Sasha asked, "You've met the person who... wrote half of the CNP?"

"No, I haven't." Ron said with a shrug "It's a little skill I have. I can tell what gender the programer is, what hand they jack off with and even which side of the fence they swing on."

"I... see..." She said with a blink "Anyways, I shall have the CNP deactivated anyways for you Major, and put the ship into Cylon-War Standards. If there is anything else you require, please notify me."

"How about the asses of the idiots responsible for damaging _Mercury _in the first place?" Ron said rolling his eyes "I would like to skin them and hang their dried hides from my office door! Don't deactivate the program: erase it! From EVERYTHING! And don't network in communications! I'm paranoid and always assuming the Cylons are going to jump in and nuke us to death!" He left CIC.

"Well, he seems awfully paranoid..." Said Sasha's second-in-command, Colonel Zane Melchiott, as Sasha sighed.

"He's one of, if not the best engineer in the Colonies, Zane." She said. "He fought during the war, he has a reason to be paranoid..." She then just shrugged "Well, best do as he says. Delete the CNP from all systems, revert to Cylon-Era Networking... and don't network Communications as the Major requested."

"Yes Ma'am!" The crew in the CIC responded as they immediately followed her orders. Then the Major stuck his head back in. "When I said everything, I didn't mean just the ship. I was also talking about the air group: Vipers, Raptors AND shuttles. Get to work." He left for good this time.

Sasha sighed as she shook her head "Do as he says..." she said, "Seriously, for a Major he might as well be a Rear Admiral at this point..."

"I heard that!"

Everyone stopped. Clearly, the man had VERY good ears.

* * *

_**Later, Starboard Flight pod Strut**_

* * *

Barely half an hour after the arrival of the CCE Fleet and Ronald Pinkerton, they were already hard at work repairing the strut as Raptors flew over the damaged zone while CCE personnel, lead by Pinkerton himself, were already removing the damaged parts of the strut and beginning to replace them with the new parts. "_Mercury_, Psycho: you people are VERY lucky that this didn't punch any deeper into the hull!" He announced, "Five meters deeper, and your ass would be limping off to Scorpion Fleet Shipyards with your tail between your legs!"

"_Thanks for the update, Major Pinkerton,_" Sasha said on the Comm. "_How long do you think it will take for the repairs to be finished?_"

"I just have to remove debris from the drone, patch the hull and add replacement armor plating." He said, "The debris is the only reason the pods won't retract. How's the search for Morons One and Two coming? I plan on introducing them to the Adama Glare before I skin them alive."

Sasha sighed "_Junior Lieutenants Jackson Trint and Alice Lukara are in their quarters at the moment,_" she said, "_The entire incident was accidental, as it was clear the Drone malfunctioned, I didn't see any reason to discipline them for something that was a piece of faulty hardware from Scorpion. _" Ron managed to remove the drone. As soon as it was free, he noticed something was VERY wrong with it. And not because it punched a hole in a Battlestar. "What the frak?" He muttered as he turned the Comm back on "Actual, this wasn't an accident: this was sabotage. Someone screwed with the guidance systems on this fraking thing!"

There was a long pause on the comm "_How can you be sure?_" She asked. "Because the seeker head's been replaced." He answered, "It's got a camera in it. Someone rigged the drone, placed it on that Raptor and when they launched it..." He snorted. Whether or not it was in amusement or outrage would never be known. "It went straight for the ship."

"_Major Pinkerton_, _this is_ Marathon: _message from Picon Fleet Headquarters for you_." The Commander of the _Marathon _said as Ronald keyed them in. "What is it?"

"'_Lost contact with Armistice Station. Unsure if communications error or attack. Please investigate.' Message ends_."

Ronald groaned "For the love of Ares, Athena and Hephaestus!" He shouted, "I'm kind of on the clock, here! Send a fraking Raptor: we don't have time for checking up on the station!" He sighed. "_Mercury_ Actual, I'd like to stay with you and find out who the frak is screwing with me. I don't tolerate shit like this!"

"_Thank you Major, and actually, if you wish I can send one of my Raptors to investigate for you and the CCE._" Sasha said, "_Its the least we can do for you arriving here for the repairs on such short notice._" Ron sighed. "Alright. The CCE force will stay behind and guard _Mercury _and your escorts." He said, "I do not like the sound of this. Hell, the _smell _of it rankles my nose." He looked at _Marathon_. "_Marathon_, Psycho: Send a Raptor to contact Task Force 302. If they don't hear from us in 6 hours, they jump here. No questions."

"_Copy that, Major._" The Commander said as a Raptor launched from _Marathon _and jumped away. "Commander, I'm coming back in." He said, "My people can fix this without me watching them."

"_Copy that Major,_" she said, with another sigh "_Make it double... Because I'm getting a bad feeling about this as well._"

* * *

_**Later, Port Flight Pod**_

* * *

Launching from the Port Flight Pod emerged a Raptor-I Utility Gunship, soaring out as it distanced itself from the _Mercury._ Inside the Raptor I, two people in Colonial flight suits manned their stations at the controls, a man and a woman.

The woman pilot sighed "Thank the Gods we're avoiding the wrath of Major Pinkerton," she said as she flew the Raptor away. "I mean it was a 1/1,000,000 chance of that drone malfunctioning, right?"

The man nodded "Yeah, that was all too close for me," he said. "I heard rumors about that guy... when he says your ass is his, he _means _it, and he'd probably skin us for good measure." Both of them shivered at the thought of that.

"A-Anyways," The woman said, as she flicked on the controls, turning on the Comm. "_Mercury,_ this is Raptor 419, we are go for FTL Jump to Armistice Station, do you copy?"

"_We copy you, Raptor 419,_" Said Colonel Melchiott said on the Comm "_You are clear for FTL Jump, report back once you ascertain the status of the station._" Then the Commander's voice came through "_Thunderkid, Swallow, you two find out what's going on over there and report back ASAP, no delays._" She said.

"Copy that, ma'am." Alice 'Swallow' Lukara said as her ECO, Jackson 'Thunderkid' Trint started sobbing. "We are SO screwed." He muttered. Alice just sighed as she activated the FTL Drive as the Raptor jumped, arriving at the location of Armistice Station.

Unfortunately for them, they discovered a large ship hanging over what looked like the remains of a small station. The vessel was massive: at least the size of a Battlestar, with two Y-shaped hulls connected by a central core. It bore a vague resemblance to late war Cylon Basestars. **(RON AN: Three words, people: **_**Blood and Chrome**_**)** And it was launching fighters. "Oh, fraking shit!" Swallow shouted, "Spool up the FTL and plot a jump back to _Mercury_! I'll try to avoid those...whatever they are!"

Five horseshoe-shaped fighters flew toward them, blue tracers barely missing the Raptor. At the center of the 'shoe' was an oblong section containing the engines and what looked like a face. A Cylon Centurion's face, complete with a red eye moving side to side. "Holy frak! Are those Cylons?!" Jackson shouted, as Alice tried her best to dodge the weapons fire.

"Don't know, don't care!" She shouted, as another flight of what looked to be new generation Cylon Raiders came at them from their front quarter. "Uh, can we jump back to _Mercury _now?" She asked hurriedly.

"Yeah, we're good!"Jackson shouted with a nod, and not even one second later she pushed the button, jumping the Raptor out of harm's way.

* * *

_**Meanwhile**_

_**With the **_**Mercury**_** CIC**_

* * *

"Ma'am, message from Colonial H.Q, broadcasted in the clear." Said the Comm Officer of CIC. Sasha looked up at him, and noticed the unusually pale face he had. "You... you need to see this."

Sasha rose an eyebrow, as she took the paper with the message from his hands, as she glanced through the contents. As she read the message, her eyes widened as she began to pale just as much as the officer had "...oh shit..." was all she could say.

_Attention all Colonial Units: _

_Cylon Attack underway. _

_This is no drill!_

"Action Stations! All ships to Condition One!" She barked immediately afterwards, causing several crewmen to jump. "And get me Pinkerton on the Comm ASAP!"

"Don't bother." Ronald said as he walked into CIC. "What the hell's going on?"

"See for yourself," Sasha said, as she handed Ron the message, as he glanced at it and snorted in amusement.

"Commander, _Galactica's _being retired." He said, "This could be just a retirement prank on Commander Adama."

"If that were true, Major Pinkerton," Sasha said, "Why transmit it to us in the clear, and not just _Galactica?_"

"DRADIS contact!" One of the Operators sounded off before Pinkerton could reply "It's Raptor 419! They're requesting COMM clearance now."

"That was quick," Sasha said as she picked up the Comm Phone "Swallow, how-"

"_COMMANDER, ITS THE CYLONS!_" Swallow's voice shouted on the comm, "_THEY BLEW UP THE STATION! THE CYLONS ARE BACK AND THEY GOT NEW TOYS!_"

Ron picked up a headset. "Swallow, Psycho: calm down." he said, "Describe the ships to me."

"_There... there was this one ship..._" She said, panic still in her voice. "_It was at least as big as a Battlestar and looked like two Y's crossed over another, and... and they launched hundreds of these horse-shoe shaped fighters... they had faces on them! Cylon Centurion faces!_"

"What about the configuration?" He asked, "Did the large ship have a double hull and central axis? Was it a Cylon Baseship?"

"_Yes! Yes! It did!_" Swallow shouted, "_Double hull, axis, everything! It looked like... like one of those 2nd Variant Basestar's from later in the war, only way more advanced!_"

"Like the one that the _Osiris _took out during the Ghost Fleet Offensive," Ronald asked, "Or the one Adama saw during Raptor Talon?"

"_The Raptor Talon one!_" She said hastily. "_Basic design and everything!_" Sasha watched as the man calmly listened. He knew something about Raptor Talon: something no one else knew. "Swallow, get your ass back on _Mercury_, RFN." He said, "Calm down. You won't do us any good if you crash that-"

"DRADIS contacts!" The Operator shouted again, "Four ships, approximate size of a _Jupiter_-Class Battlestar, multiple bearings and caroms!"

"_Its them again!_" Swallow shouted, "_Its the Basestars and Fraking hell, they're launching Raiders!_"

"Swallow, get back on board, NOW!" He ordered as he looked at the comm officer. "Patch me in to _Marathon_, NOW!"

The Comm officer nodded, as he quickly patched the Major to his home Battlestar.

"_Marathon_, we've got Cylon Baseships inbound." He ordered, "Tell the fleet to enter formation around _Mercury _and her escorts! Launch Vipers and Raptors!"

"_Got it, Major! Should we get your Mk III ready?_"

"Get someone to ferry it over!" He said as he looked at Sasha, who was giving him a questioning look. "What?"

"Why have your ships guard us?" She asked.

"The CNP." He said, "Your escorts still have it in their computers. _Mercury's _safe from cyber-attack. They aren't."

"What about your ships?" Zane asked, "We don't use the CNP. Custom OS." Ron quickly answered "Your air group's clean. Launch your birds and take out those Cylons."

Sasha didn't need to be told twice as she snapped her fingers, and the orders to launch the _Mercury's_ Viper Mark VII's and Raptors.

"Commander! Reports from _Athena _and _Gallia..._all of their systems are shutting down!" The Comm officer shouted, shock on his face "They... they just picked up a single signal from the Baseships and... everything shut down instantly!"

"FRAK!" Ron shouted causing several in CIC to jump "I HATE it when I'm right!"

Sasha and Zane looked at Ron, "What do you mean?" Sasha asked, "I can understand the Cylons hacking the CNP, but how could they bypass it so quickly? Its impossible, even for them!"

"The other half of the CNP." He said, "It was written by a Cylon!" Shock replaced all other emotion on their faces.

"A-A Cylon?" Zane barked, "That's impossible! How the hell could a Cylon get inside our borders without us knowing? I think we'd notice a chrome-plated Toaster walking around!"

Ron took in a breath. "What I am about to tell you is HIGHLY classified." He said, "During the final hours of Operation Raptor Talon, William Adama crash-landed, ending up in a Cylon facility. Inside it were the bodies of over one hundred men and women, and in the center of it all, a vat full of what could only be called goo. And a HAND grabbed onto Adama's arm from that vat. The Cylons were experimenting on human beings. I guess it's fitting. We created the Cylons. Now they want to replace us, mechanically AND biologically."

There was an uncomfortable silence within CIC, as all eyes fell on Ronald as most of the crew looked at him as if he were insane... or at least more insane than originally thought.

"Human... Cylons?" Zane asked with wide eyes, "That... that's impossible!" "Everyone said the same thing about the 0005s when they first came out. Look what happened. If we get in contact with _Galactica_, Bill will tell you that everything I just told you is true!" "Commander, Raiders are closing on _Athena_! Orders?!" The CCE head gave the two a glare. "You have two choices. One, you get those ships to wipe their computers while we cover them or two, we all die! There is no time to explain right now!"

Though Sasha was still a bit sceptical about Humanoid Cylons, at the time being she didn't have much choice. "Order _Gallia _and _Athena _to wipe their O.S's of the CNP and reboot to Cylon War standards! That goes for their Vipers and Raptors as well! All _Mercury _Vipers are ordered to defend the _Athena _and _Gallia _until they're clear!"

Ron nodded. "Good idea. As soon as my Mk III's on board, I'll join the fight." He said.

"Why not take one of our Mk VIIs?" Sasha asked, "We have dozens without pilots."

"I like the Mk III, and seeing as I was never shot down, I still fly my old bird." He said as he looked at fire control. "Flak barrage, autofire mode! We're intercepting missiles, not killing Baseships today!" Everyone started running around like chickens with their heads cut off, but they got to their stations and got to work. "Commander, I'll take command of your air wing for now. If I remember correctly, you still don't have a CAG."

Sasha sighed "We did, but he was sent to Caprica to get his new Viper Mark VIII Delta." She said, "We'd gladly have you as a CAG for now, Major."

"Major, your Mk III's just arrived! Port flight pod!" One of the Operators reported as Ron grinned. "Thank you. Time to see if the Cylons enhanced their Raiders, as well." He said as he left CIC, running to the port flight pod to join the fight, and to see if he was, indeed, right.

He was only guessing about the humanoid models, but it was perfectly logical, seeing as during Adama's first mission, he discovered that the Cylons were modifying living creatures with cybernetics. Again, though, that was classified: no one wanted to disgust the public. If he was right, then the Raiders were a step in between: organic computers and metal bodies.

The moment he arrived in the pod, he took off his uniform jacket, revealing the top half of a flight suit. It was CCE policy to wear suit under the duty uniform: paranoia was a bitch that way, but it also saved time. He grabbed a collar and helmet, secured both, and hopped into his Mk III, with was fit with two 40mm gunpods and a larger 50mm under the fuselage. "Get me in the tube, people! This thing's not a show piece!" He barked, as the deckhands pushed the Viper into the launch tube. "Shooter, Psycho: ready to launch."

"_Copy, Psycho._" Said the 'Shooter' Operator "_NavCon, green. Interval, check. Thrust is positive. You are clear to launch._"

"Then get me into the fight!" Ron shouted impatiently as the Shooter pushed the button and launched the Mk III into the vacuum. As expected, the Colonials were outnumbered 5 to one, but they were making a good accounting of themselves. Ron found a Raider and opened fire with the 30mm cannons, hitting the 'head'. Blood, actual blood, poured out from the holes. "Son of a bitch." He growled, "Actual, Psycho: the Raiders are techno-organic! Repeat, Raiders have organic brains!"

There was a long pause on the comm before Sasha answered "_Roger that, Psycho._" She said, "_Just work with our Vipers, and keep them off our ships! _Athena _and _Gallia _are working on wiping their O.S's._"

"Then tell them to hurry it up!" Ronald shouted, as he pulled his Viper up, as two Cylon Raiders moved behind him, firing their KEW cannons. "The sooner they launch their own Vipers, the better!"

He spun around, flipped the safety switch for the 40mm guns to the OFF position and opened fire. Unlike the 30mm rounds, these were tiny explosive flak rounds, designed to tear fighters apart. One Raider was destroyed, exploding in a cloud of blood and fire. The other one was badly damaged: engines were shot, cannons were destroyed. "Psycho to any Raptor in the area: I've disabled a Cylon Raider!" He ordered, "Pick the damned thing up and get it onto _Mercury's _flight deck!"

"_Sir, why the hell-_"

"I'd like to dissect it later! DO IT!" He shouted as a Raptor from the _Marathon _flew in, then started nudging the Raider toward the starboard flight pod. He moved back into the furball, then saw dozens of tracers coming at him. "WHAT THE FRAK?!" He shouted as he kicked on the afterburners, then spun to see a giant box-like craft heading for _Mercury_. "Oh, shit. Sierra Alpha, we have a new bogey." He announced.

"_What the hell is that thing, Major?!_"

"It's got to be a Heavy Raider!" He shouted as he chased after it, "A Gunship/Troop transport of the Raider! Cylon equivalent of a Raptor!" He clicked off the safety for the 50mm autocannon. This was a throwback to the old days of fighter combat, where explosive rounds were the best weapon against other aircraft. Heavily armored targets like the Heavy Raider would need something like that to take out.

The Heavy spun around, pointing six 30mm cannons at the Mk III. "Uh-oh." he muttered just as it opened fire, forcing the Major to barrel roll and dodge. "I'll give YOU something to shoot, you fraking assholes!" He shouted as he opened fire with the 50mm cannon, tearing off the hatch, revealing its' cargo: twelve Cylon Centurions. They were taller, leaner and, if Ron's opinion mattered, sexier looking.

One of them pointed its' arms at the Mk III, then three guns swung into position on the wrists. Another one pulled out what looked like a heavy machine gun. "Why me?" Ron muttered as they opened fire, forcing him to break off. "FRAK! Screw it!" He vectored upwards, then fired the 50mm at the Heavy again, hitting and destroying the engines. "Who's your daddy, fraker?!" He shouted with his signature insane grin "That's right: ME, BITCH!" He pulled down again and hosed the inside of the Heavy Raider down with 30mm cannon rounds.

"Splash one Heavy!" He called out as the Heavy Raider's hulk slammed into the port flight pod, doing little to no damage to the pod itself. He chuckled as he returned to the fight, seeing that the _Mercury _Viper pilots were VERY skilled. "No one's dead yet." He said with a small smile "The Cylons were expecting us to be caught with our pants down, and the Raiders were ready for that, not this."

"_Raptor 364 to all ships: radiological alarm! Inbound nukes!_" The warning came just as the Baseships began throwing missiles around like they were handing out candy, and while the flak field was keeping most of it out, a few got through and arced toward _Marathon_. "Frak!" He shouted, as _Marathon_'s 55mm CIWS kicked in, but there were at least 36 missiles, and five of them were confirmed nuclear. A Battlestar could survive multiple nuclear strikes, but not all at once!

The CIWS fired on the missiles, but unfortunately they could not get them all. As two Nukes impacted on the Port Flight pod resulting in two massive explosions that shook the _Marathon,_ followed by a third nuke which severely damaged what was left of it, along with taking a good chunk of the main hull of the ship as well. "Marathon's_ down, repeat, _Marathon's _down!_"

"CALM DOWN, PEOPLE!" Ron shouted, as he kept the Vipers and Raptors from the vessel in check. "_Marathon _Viper teams, on me! We've got to get some of this pressure off the Battlestars!"

"_What do we do, sir?_" One Viper VII pilot asked as the entirety of the _Marathon's _Viper Wings formed up behind Pinkerton's Mark III. He grimaced. "We hit the Baseships." Cylon Baseships were notorious for having zero AA defense: that was why they carried so many Raiders.

"_Aye, sir!_" A Raptor II Pilot shouted, "_Let's do this!_"

_Marathon's_ mixed Viper squadrons (Mks II, III, VII and VIII) flew in formation as they sped towards the first Basestar in their path. "Actual, Psycho. We're going to get some of this pressure off you. I'll take _Marathon's_ Vipers and assault one of the Baseships! It might force the Raiders to double back!"

"_Are you Insane Major?_" Sasha shouted, "_You'll get killed!_"

"Did this before and I survived!" He said, kicking on the afterburners and led the Vipers toward one of the Baseships. The Baseships knew what they were doing, but oddly enough, rather than recalling their fighters, the Baseships jumped away one by one. "What the hell?" Ron muttered in surprise, as soon after the remaining Raiders disengaged from whatever fights they were in, and also started jumping away. "Actual, the Cylons are leaving."

"Athena _and _Gallia _have just purged the CNP from their systems and Complements._" Sasha reported, "_They have power... why did they run though?_"

He sighed as he looked at the _Marathon_. The port flight pod had taken three nuclear missiles, and had crumpled. Launching and recovering Vipers would be impossible, even though it appeared the pod could still be retracted, what was the point? With the damage done to the hull and the pod itself, _Marathon_ was practically dead now.

"_Marathon_, do you read?" Ronald asked on the comm. It took a few seconds before he got a response. "_Psycho_, Marathon: _we're barely holding on over here. No one in the port flight pod's responding. I think she's dead, sir_."

Ron sighed. "Captain," He said, "I want you to strip _Marathon _down to the bones: AA guns, main cannons, Co2 scrubbers, armor plating, ammo."

"_Everything_?"

"EVERYTHING." He emphasized as he turned toward _Mercury's _starboard pod. He had a Raider to dissect.

* * *

**Battlestar Mercury - starboard flight pod: **

**1 hour after the battle**

* * *

Everyone looked at the Raider like it was some alien creature. In a way, it was. Ron wore a pair of fatigues, and held a knife at his side. "So, what's the plan, Major?" The chief engineer of the _Mercury _said, as Ronald sighed scratching the back of his head.

"Well," he began, "When the Commander and the Colonel get down here, I'm going to cut into that thing and find out what makes it tick."

"Wouldn't a welder work best?" The engineer asked, gesturing to the cutting tools already brought out. Ron just sighed as he shook his head "Kid, this is a mixed machine: organic technology." He said, "Hell, I'm a bit out of my league, but I'm the Cylon expert, so..."

The doors to the Hangar bay opened as Sasha and Zane stepped inside, as they looked at the damaged raider. "Well... it certainly _looks _Cylon in design..." Sasha said, as she looked at the inactive face of the Raider. "Major, are you sure this thing won't just up and... come back to life?"

"I fried the engines and destroyed the weapons." Ronald said reassuringly, "The only thing it can do right now is _look _like it wants to kill you." He got up and made a walk around, inspecting the craft. "And it pulls that off VERY well." He added.

Sasha sighed, but nodded "Alright Major, I trust you with this." She said, as she glared at the Raider. "Just ask Chief Donovan if you need anything. "

Ron nodded as he turned to the Chief Engineer "I trashed a Heavy Raider during the battle." He said, "It crashed on top of the flight pod. It's got a bunch of Centurions in it: I'd like to take a look at them after I'm done with this bastard."

The Chief engineer nodded as he saluted "Yes sir, I'll get a team to bring them onboard." He said, "Would you like us to bring in what's left of the Heavy Raider as well?" Ronald shrugged as he continued to inspect the Raider. "Sure," he said, before he blinked as he got on his hands and knees, finding something out of place.

"Hello. What are you?" He asked, It was a button of sorts. He pressed it, revealing a hatch as it depressed and moved backwards into the Raider. "Commander? You're going to want to take a look at this."

Sasha and Zane got on their hands and crawled over to where Ron was laying. "When I said that the Cylons had organic technology, I meant it." He said, as the two Commanding officers' eyes widened as they saw what was inside. Flesh hung over their heads, looking like the inner sac that protected the brain, but MUCH thicker.

Ronald poked at the membrane with the knife. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Zane muttered as Ronald shrugged "No." He said, as he immediately stabbed it afterwards. Ooze came from the cut, coating the Major's hand.

"That...is disgusting." Zane muttered.

"That's organic technology in general." He said, as he looked more into detail "But..." He started cutting the membrane out. "I'd move if I were you two." He said, as both command officers moved back as Ron, with near surgical skill, removed the membrane and placed it on the deck.

The Major stuck his head into the Cylon fighter. "Well, I was right about one thing." He said, as he wiped away some of the Cylon 'guts' from himself "It's got a brain." He smirked devilishly. "I've always wanted to be a brain surgeon."

Sasha pinched the bridge of her nose as she looked at the Cylon 'Brain'. "This..." she muttered, "I never thought I'd see something like this..."

"Could this Raider still fly?" Zane asked curiously, as he kicked a piece of the Raider's armored hull.

"If I didn't blow up the engines and weapons, maybe." Ronald said as he shrugged again, "Problem is, how the hell are you going to fly it? It doesn't have conventional controls! It flies itself!" He then looked at the aft end of the bulge. "Well, I think I just found the FTL drive. If anything still works, it still works."

He began hacking at the brain itself, removing it from the Raider. "Hmm...It CAN fit someone inside..." He said, "That's good news, at least."

"How is that good news?" Sasha asked.

"In case one of us gets caught and manages to escape from the Cylons, all we have to do is gut a Raider open, remove the brain and learn how to fly it!" He said grinning.

"_Commander Urei to CIC. Commander Urei to CIC._" Sounded the Intercom, as Sasha sighed and turned to Ronald. "Excuse me, Major." She said, "Have fun with your new..." She tapped the Raider. "Toy."

"I will, ma'am." Ronald said with a crazed grin as he went to work as Zane and Sasha walked out of the hanger. "Commander, you DO realize what this means?" Zane said as they walked through the corridors of the _Mercury._

"I know." Sasha said grimly "If the Raiders are semi-organic, then that means there are more than likely humanoid models. They could be anywhere. Could be any_one_."

"Ma'am, with all due respect, how are we going to pick out a Cylon among our ranks if they look _just like us now?_" Zane emphasized as they approached the CIC door, but stopped just outside. Sasha sighed as she turned to Zane. "We'll have to figure it out when we get to that point, Zane," she said. "Until then, keep this under wraps... I don't want the entire crew to freak out and start saying that their bunkmates are Cylons just because they don't brush their teeth in the morning."

Zane sighed "It'll be a bitch to cover up..." he muttered as they entered CIC where they were soon greeted by the Comm officer, handing her a message. "Message came in the clear, ma'am." He said, as she read the note.

""To all Colonial units: Am taking command of fleet. All units ordered to rendezvous at Ragnar anchorage for regroup and counterattack. Acknowledge by same encryption protocol. Adama.'"

"Adama?" Zane asked in surprise, "As in-"

"Commander William Adama." Sasha said, with a light chuckle "Well, I'll be damned, the Old Man's still alive... guess he's not just a commander anymore. As of this moment, he's Fleet Admiral in my eyes now."

"Ma'am, with due respect, you have more ships." Zane said, "Protocol-"

"Adama's my senior officer." Sasha snapped back, "He's a war hero from the first war, aside from Pinkerton... we need someone like him, so we answer to him." She sighed. "Are we within voice range?" She asked.

"Yes Ma'am," The Comm Officer said, "I... think I might be able to patch you through to the _Galactica, _give me a moment."

* * *

_**Meanwhile**_

_**Aboard the Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**CIC**_

* * *

"Commander, we're picking up a message." Anastasia 'Dee' Dualla said, "It's garbled all to hell, but I think it's Colonial."

Adama looked at Dualla in surprise, but nodded. "Patch it through." He said, as Dee pushed a few buttons, patching in the mystery ship. "_Bat..._Mer_...t..._Gal_..._"

"This is _Galactica_. Please repeat your message." Adama said.

"_..ill?...On...wa...t...Ra...age..._"

"This is Commander Adama! Please repeat!" He said before he sighed and hung up the phone. Gaeta looked at the Commander. "That could have been a reflected signal." He said, as Tigh looked at the younger man. "Or the Cylons could be jamming them." He pointed out.

Adama shook his head. "If it was Colonial, the ship will make it to Ragnar. Status?"

"The board is green. Ship reports ready to jump, sir." Adama nodded. "Very well. Take us to Ragnar, Colonel." The bald XO looked at Gaeta. "Mister Gaeta, execute the jump, please."

"Yes, sir." Gaeta said as he walked over to the FTL console. "The clock is running. In five, four, three, two, one, Jump." _Galactica _disappeared in a flash.

* * *

**Battlestar Mercury - CIC**

* * *

"Frak! They didn't even hear me." Sasha shouted as she hung up the phone.

"The Cylons ARE jamming everything that moves and produces a wireless signal." Zane said, just as the doors to CIC opened, and in came the Major, who was holding a head under his arm. It looked like the head attached to the Raider, but it was smaller. "Major... do I _want _to know what that is?" Sasha said as she felt a migraine coming on.

"It's a Cylon Centurion's head." Ronald said, causing her to blink. "What?" She asked as Ronald nodded.

"Yeah, I was shocked, too." He said, as he hefted the head for all in CIC to see "Looks like they retired the 0005s and introduced these mean looking cocksuckers." He then looked at the note in Sasha's hands. "What's up?" He asked, gesturing to the note before she gave him the note, and he quickly read it. As he read it, a grin appeared on his face before he chuckled, "Fraking A. The Old Man's alive and kicking ass!" He said, "Did you get a message out to him in return?"

Sasha sighed "We tried to, but too much interference." She said, "Cylons are jamming everything wireless: we could only get a garbled message through. All we do know is that they're probably heading for Ragnar as we speak."

Ronald just smirked as he looked at the message "Say what you will, but this is some of the best news I've heard today so far," he said. However suddenly he paled "Wait. If Bill's taking command of the fleet, that means Admiral Nagala and the rest of the Admiralty are dead." He looked at Zane. "Was there any news on _Pegasus_?"

"Not that we heard." Zane said, shaking his head "Wasn't she docked at Scorpion?"

"She was." Ron on said before he growled causing the others too look at him oddly. "What is it Major?" Sasha asked.

"Helena Cain." Ronald muttered, "You've all heard her sob story: had to leave behind her sister during the last day of the war?"

"Who hasn't?" Zane said, "Everyone's lost someone in that war."

"Well, that makes her a royal bitch." Ronald said with a roll of his eyes, "If she survived, then all hell is going to break loose. Even if Adama takes command, technically he's still a Commander, and Helena is a Rear Admiral, so she'd outrank him and everyone else in this fleet. And trust me, we do _not _want someone like _her _commander of the Colonial Fleet."

Before they could continue the discussion, The comm officer ran over. "Ma'am, we're picking up a distress call!" She said, "Looks like it's a civilian transport ship." Ron looked at the wireless operator. "Where?" He asked.

"About eight point five SU from Caprica and Gemenon" he said, "It'd take six hours for Sublight, but one of our ships could make a jump there instantly."

Ron looked at Sasha. "I can take the _Vulture _and get them out of there." He said, "In fact, we should at least save as many civilians as we can and take them to Ragnar with us."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Sasha said nodding, "You have permission Major, and take the _Gallia _with you for some extra firepower. We'll make way for Ragnar and meet you there."

"Ma'am, technically, I can't command a non-CCE ship." Ronald pointed out, "I'd need to be a Lt. Colonel to command a regular fleet ship!" (**RON AN: Ron D Moore confirmed this rank exists in **_**BSG**_**: Fisk has the rank pins early in **_**Razor**_)

Sasha sighed a bit, "I feel like I'm gonna regret this..." she muttered, "But... as of this moment, I _am _promoting you. Congratulations, Lieutenant Colonel Pinkerton." He saluted. "Yes, ma'am." He said, "And believe me, you will not regret it." He dropped the salute and ran out of CIC. Time WAS of the essence.

* * *

_**Meanwhile, **_

_**Colonial Convoy**_

* * *

The Captain of the Botanical Cruiser couldn't believe what was happening. Their newly elected president Laura Roslin had just left them for dead, their sensors were already picking up an entire flight wing of Cylon Raiders on approach, and locking on. '_This is how it ends?_' He thought, as he leaned against the controls of his vessel.

"Sir! New DRADIS Contacts!" The Operator shouted, and moments later, just before the Cylons could fire their missiles, several Cylon's appeared to be destroyed. Soaring between the fleet emerging from FTL appeared eight Viper VIII Delta's, four colored in a militaristic green and tan color pattern, while the other four were colored black with red trimming.

"_This is Captain Detlef Fleisher, of the 52nd 'Rot' Tactical Fighter Squadron, and Captain Bernhard Schmidt of the 8th 'Grun' Tactical Fighter Squadron!_" A voice shouted on the Comm, "_To all Civilian ships, hang tight! Cavalry's here!_"

The Captain's eyes widened in surprise, but let out a long sigh of relief as he picked up his Radio "This is the Captain of the _Botanical Cruiser,_" he said, "To Colonial Fighters... your timing couldn't be anymore perfect."

"_Don't mention it Captain,_" Detlef said, as the Vipers went toe-to-toe with the Cylon Raiders, distracting them from the Civilians "_Just keep moving! I'm guessing you don't have FTL, so just move as far away from here as you can in Sublight! Our ships will give you support!_"

"Your ships?" The Captain asked, before the DRADIS of the Cruiser sounded off once again, though the Captain didn't need it as before him and the other Civilian ships appeared two vessels: a _Mercury-_class Battlestar, and a _Valkyrie-_class. The Captain's jaw dropped even as the Communications went off once again "_This is the Battlestars _Spartan _and _Imperator." The voice announced, "_We'll keep you safe!_"

The Civilians could only watch in awe and amazement, as the Colonial Fighters intercepted any missiles fired towards them, and destroyed the Raiders who were obviously not expecting a fight. On several of the ships, the civilians cheered on the Colonial Fighters, that were clearly outclassing the Cylons, while the two Battlestars moved into formation with the Civilians to provide additional protection.

On the bridge of the _Spartan, _Commander Franklin Mendez grinned as the Cylons were torn asunder. "Commander, all Cylon Raiders have been destroyed." The DRADIS operator announced.

"Good," He said, "Recall Rot and Grun Squadrons, but send out Schnee and Indigo Squadrons to patrol the airspace-"

"DRADIS Contact!" The Operator shouted, "Two Contacts...wait... they're Colonial! The Battlestar _Gallia, _and the CCE Pocket Battlestar _Vulture!_"

On the _Vulture, _the newly appointed Lieutenant Commander Ronald Pinkerton looked at the DRADIS screen in surprise, as there were no Cylons, but rather two Colonial Warships and a little over 20 Civilian ships. "Well... wasn't expecting this, but I'll take it." He said, as he snapped his fingers, signalling the Communications to send the Battlestars a message as he picked up the Phone "This is the Colonial Corps of Engineers Battlestar _Vulture,_ to Colonial Battlestars _Spartan _and_ Imperator,_ please respond." He stood up, banging his head off a pipe. "OW!" He shouted, rubbing his head. "And this is why the regular fleet retired most of their _Orions_: everyone kept banging their heads off the low ceilings!"

"_This is Commander Franklin Mendez, commander of the _Spartan_."_ A voice said,_ "Pinkerton, is that you?_"

"It is."

"_I thought the Admiralty had a hard-on against you._" Franklin Said, "_When the hell were YOU promoted?_" Ron sighed. "Five minutes ago." He said, "We picked up a distress call from this fleet you just saved. Looks like I got promoted for nothing."

"_Not nothing: we barely got here in time._" Franklin said, "_Picked up a transmission from _Galactica_ when we heard the distress call from these guys._"

"Well, that's good news." Ronald said with a smirk, "Commander Urei's heading to Ragnar right now. Hopefully, _Galactica's_ still there waiting for us. Any news on _Pegasus_?"

"_Scattered reports,_" Franklin said, "_But according to one of the few ships that escaped SFS, _Pegasus _jumped off._"

"FRAK!" Ronald shouted, as he punched a bulkhead. "Mendez, you and I BOTH know that Cain cannot take command of the Fleet! If she does, she will get us all killed!"

"_I know, man._" Commander Mendez said, "_I know. But we've been having trouble ascertaining any ship's location with all the jamming the Cylons are throwing around._"

Ronald sighed as he sat back in his chair. "What about the Colonies?" he asked, "We didn't hear anything about them. Are the Cylons landing ground troops, like last time?"

There was a long pause on the Comm, as he could hear Mendez sigh heavily which send a few chills down his spine "_Ron...they've been nuked._" Mendez said, as Ron's eyes widened "_Aerilon to Tauron and everything in between._"

The new Lt Colonel slumped back into his seat. "Oh, my Gods." He muttered, for what felt like a whole minute he just sat there with a stunned look on his face, before finally he took in a deep breath, wiped his face and nodded. "Franklin, we need to split up." He said, "I've got a small task force near Helios Beta. Send the _Imperator _there. I'll...I'll give you the coordinates."

"_Copy that Ron,_" Mendez said, "_It'll take some time to get the civilians there, none of them seem to have working FTL._" "We've got the parts to repair or retrofit them with FTL drives." Ron said, "I'll get a few shuttles ready."

"_Got it, thanks Ron._" Franklin said with a sigh "_And... sorry._"

Everyone looked at the Lt. Colonel. He was cracking up. Then again, the Cylons just murdered his entire family: he was the only one left. "_Ron, you-_"

"I'm fine!" He snapped, "I need go looking for the rest of the CCE fleet. Hopefully, the Cylons didn't destroy them." He then scoffed a bit as he grinned. "Who am I kidding? They can't take out the _Zeus_ or her sisters. No one can. I'll be seeing you soon Mendez." He turned off the Comm, as he unbuttoned his uniform and pressed a switch, activating the PA. "This is the Colonel: begin jump prep. Actual out."

He shut off the PA. "Plot a jump to Hades Station." He said, as the helm and and FTL operators nodded. Unlike Picon Fleet Headquarters, Hades Station, the headquarters of the CCE, was deep inside an asteroid. The Cylons wouldn't be able to destroy it, and no one got in without heavy duty screening. And then they would have found the organic model Cylons.

"Launch five Raptors. Send them to the last known locations of Task Forces 301, 302, Alpha Delta, Epsilon and Gamma Hydra." He ordered, "We can't afford to lose those Battlestar Dreadnoughts. Their orders are to jump to Ragnar while sending out two ships minimum to look for civilians." Then he paused. "And send an FTL shuttle to Ragnar with news about the Colonies. Commander Urei's going to need to hear about this."

* * *

_**Meanwhile, with the **_**Mercury**

_**Approaching Ragnar Anchorage**_

* * *

After the fleet of Colonial/CCE ships had evacuated the _Marathon,_ they put the vessel in tow as they carried it with them to Ragnar as they continued working on the Salvaging operations. Removing weapons, ammo, armor, everything they could. With the help of CCE and a few volunteers from _Athena _and _Mercury,_ as they made their final approach to Ragnar, the _Marathon _was almost nothing but a skeletal frame, excluding its still intact Starboard Flight Pod. One of the Engineers had an idea on how to use it, but needed the Major-make that _Lieutenant Colonel's_ opinion. They were now working on scrapping the Frame itself.

"You gotta give the CCE credit," Zane said in CIC with the Commander as they read the reports of the _Marathon's _salvaging operations. "They salvage _everything _down to even the bare bones. With all the materials from the _Marathon _plus what they report they already have, they could build a totally new _Jupiter-_class if they wanted too... given they have a shipyard somewhere."

"A MOBILE shipyard: _Artemis_-Class." Sasha pointed out, "The CCE has three of them and uses them for heavy duty repair work." She chuckled as she read the reports. "They can build anything up to and including those monsters-What are they called again? Battlestar Dreadnoughts?"

"I believe they are _Zeus-_class Battlestar Dreadnoughts." Zane said, but nodding "We could use one of those..."

"Preparing to enter Ragnar," The Helm Operator sounded, as the fleet made the approach to Ragnar. Sasha smiled as she pictured the Zeus. "90 kilometers long, 55 wide when not including the flight pods, 70 if you do and 40 tall." She said, "According to the CCE, NOTHING can breach its' defenses, and with those giant guns-how wide are they again? 1500 centimeters?"

"They kick the shit out of our guns. and the CCE's got 10 of them, plus five ships modified for other work: spacecraft construction, asteroid strip mining, ultra heavy cargo transport, tylium mining and a troop ship." One of the Operators said. "If Pinkerton can get just _one _of those things, I think our odds will go up considerably ma'am."

"I hope so Ensign," She said, with a small sigh as they entered the Gas Giant, the storms around the ship creating high levels of electromagnetic discharges, which rendered making FTL jumps impossible, and drastically reducing the usefulness of DRADIS. This however makes it easier for the Anchorage to hide, as well as play havoc on Cylons own systems.

As they moved further and further into the Gas Giant, they soon came across the Anchorage itself, the massive space station floating in the upper atmosphere of the Gas Giant. However as they looked at the station, they noticed something... missing.

"Where's the _Galactica?_" Zane asked, as they looked at the DRADIS sensors, barely functioning but they clearly showed there were no other vessels docked with Ragnar.

"Frak..." Sasha cursed as her fist punched the map, "He left before we could get here!"

"What... what do we do now Commander?" Zane asked, as Sasha began to slightly pace around CIC. She then sighed as she leaned over the Map desk "Alright... begin docking sequence with Ragnar," she said, "I want _everything _on that station: small arms, cannons, bullets, shells, nukes, _everything!_ " Zane flinched at the tone. "Ma'am, the CCE kind of takes the everything order literally." He said, but quickly shut up at the glare Sasha gave him, which clearly said 'Don't Frak with me right now'. "...but, I'll tell the fleet that. I'm sure the CCE are already planning to do just that."

* * *

_**Meanwhile, with the **_**Vulture**

_**En-Route to Hades Station**_

* * *

The _Vulture_ jumped into the middle of an asteroid field. The saying was if you wanted to hide a leaf, you hid it in a forest. The CCE took that and modified to to if you want to hide an asteroid base the size of a small moon equipped with an FTL drive, you hide it in an asteroid field.

"DRADIS?" Ronald asked while still in CIC.

"Fraking soup, Colonel!" The Operator said, shaking his head "I can't see shit in this!" Ron nodded. "Guide us around the asteroids and home in on the beacon." He said, "Prepare to launch Vipers for air defense."

"What little we have-"

"Shut up and do it." Ronald snapped, as everyone shut up, not wanting to test the Colonel's patience. With the Colonies gone, the only things he had left were the CCE and the regular fleet it supported. Most of the latter was gone, and Pinkerton would rather face all the demons in the underworld then serve under Cain. Then again, any smart man would do the same. So, yes, the Colonel was VERY bitchy.

"Sir, picking up the beacon...Frak!" The DRADIS Operator shouted as Ronald looked at him. "What?" He asked.

"Can't tell, but I've got at least three Baseships attacking Hades Station!" The Operator said, as Ron acted quickly and decisively. "Load the nukes and target the Baseships." He ordered, "We're in stealth mode, so they can't see us until it's too late!"

Like most surviving _Orion_-Class Pocket Battlestars, the _Vulture_ was fit with the same stealth technology as the _Osiris_, but unlike the _Osiris_, they could arm their weapons and not be detected. They also had the same turrets as a _Valkyrie_-Class Battlestar, to they could fire them while the stealth mode was engaged.

"Nukes are in the launchers!" the Fire Control Operator said, "Baseships are locked on!" Ron then smiled evilly. "Fire." He said, and the _Vulture_ fired nine nuclear missiles: three to destroy the Raiders, three to clear the path of any missiles and three to finish the job. "Detonating Nukes One through Three!"

The Raiders didn't stand a chance. The nukes blew, destroying them all. The Baseships launched missiles to take out the rest, but Nukes Four through 7 were contact detonated. If anything hit them, they exploded, and when a missile hit them, they took out the rest. The final three nukes hit the Baseships, destroying them. "EMP! Hang on!" Ronald warned, as the Inertial dampeners and artificial gravity failed for a few minutes, but otherwise, the _Vulture_ was untouched.

"Contact Hades: ascertain their situation." Ronald ordered, as the Wireless operator nodded and quickly contacted the station, a minute later he looked up at him. "They've been boarded, but the Centurions are being pushed back." He said. Ronald smirked a bit as he nodded "Good. Very good." He said. "Contact Major Akagi. Tell her to jump Hades to Helios Beta."

"Aye, sir!"

"Spoil up our FTL drive! Jump us to Ragnar." Ronald said, just as Hades Station's FTL drive spun up, then activated for the first time in years, sending it to Helios Beta. Then the _Vulture_ jumped to Ragnar to meet up with _Mercury_ and _Galactica_.

* * *

_**Meanwhile**_

_**Ragnar Anchorage**_

* * *

"WHAT?" Sasha shouted in CIC into the Phone, while everyone on CIC flinched as Sasha's eyes were wide with the news she had just gained from the Raptor sent by Ronald after saving the civilians.

"_I'm sorry Commander, but... the Colonies are gone,_" the Raptor Pilot said."_They've been nuked to hell... and the majority of the Colonial Fleet is in ruins._" Sasha dropped the phone in shock. If she weren't leaning on the plotting table, she would have fallen down. "Oh, my Gods." She whispered, as the gravity of the situation hit her and everyone else in CIC. _Galactica _was gone. The Colonies were uninhabitable. Billions dead. No hope seemed to be left.

"DRADIS contact! It's the _Vulture_." The DRADIS Operator sounded off, as Sasha picked up the phone. "Actual." She said.

"_Commander, where the hell is _Galactica_?_" Ronald said, a hint of anger in his voice. Sasha sighed, as she shook her head "She's gone." She said, "Took enough ammo to restock her magazines, as many nukes and missiles as they could find, but they're gone."

"_FRAK!_" Ronald shouted, as a smash was heard on the other end. There was a short pause before he spoke again "_I'm sorry. I...lost my temper. Our duty's clear, ma'am: find as many civilian ships as we can, protect them from the Cylons. And avoid Cain at all costs. I'm not getting drafted into her personal grudge match with the Cylons._"

Sasha chuckled at Ron's attempt at a joke. "You're right, of course." She said, "We're stripping Ragnar down. Taking everything from the last scrap of ammo to the frame of the station itself. What about you? Please tell me you have good news."

Somehow she could tell Ron was grinning "_We have another CCE fleet coming in: Task Force Gamma Hydra._" He said, "_It's got two of our three _Artemis_-Class mobile shipyards, so we don't need to worry about breaking anything. And don't worry about firepower: they've got the _Macon _with them._"

"_Macon_?" Zane asked as he picked up the Comm "I'm sorry, but-"

"_It's one of the _Zeus_-Class BSDs._" Ronald answered, as Zane started smiling. They had a Battlestar Dreadnought! "What about the rest?" He asked.

"_Told them to rendezvous at Ragnar, but to send out at least two ships to look for survivors._" Ron answered, "_Found a couple of regular fleet Battlestars, too: they showed up barely a minute before we did. Damn good thing too, otherwise we'd be down about 20 ships full of civilians._"

Sasha smiled for what felt like the first time that day, as she dried her tears. They were not finished yet. They would not let the Cylons kill them so easily, as now hope was alive and out of the box.

"Ronald... this is the best news I've probably heard all day," She said, "We're about 45% done with cleaning Ragnar of its supplies, we could use your hand if you're able." She then paused "Oh yeah, and someone on the _Marathon's _engineers has an idea of what to do with their ships old Flight Pod, something about converting it into a Pocket Pod Carrier as he called it."

"_Hmm... you mean like the _Flimsie Whimsie_?_" Ronald asked, as he knew of the ship.

About ten years ago the old Battlestar _Busby_ nearly broke into two, and so she was decommissioned and scrapped. But her port flight pod was completely intact. Someone at Fleet HQ decided to do an experiment and they sealed off one end of the pod, bolted some engines on it, gave it a basic CIC and defenses and used it as an independent ship. The CV-01 _Flimsie Whimsie_ they called it. The basic idea was to use it to ferry around Vipers from one place to another and not use up valuable resources. Like the old Ferry Carriers during the Cylon War. And it could easily double as a form of light carrier.

The CCE were the ones who were put in charge of building the _Flimsie Whimsie,_ so they knew exactly how to make another one.

"_Fraking hell, one was bad enough. It pissed off the Admiralty so much they said I'd never get past Major. Problem was, the Admiralty were idiots of the highest caliber and couldn't see the pluses. Tell him that I approve and he's getting promoted the minute I get there, and that he'd better have an open mind, because I have a few improvements over the original design to include_!" Even the apocalypse wouldn't stop that man, it seemed. Then again, he was working and he was going to be working overtime. And everyone knew he LOVED doing overtime.

* * *

**Battlestar Mercury - 3 hours later**

* * *

"The President left them behind?" Sasha asked in shock, as she stood with Zane and Ronald in her Quarters.

"Not Adar, He's dead." Ronald said, shaking his head "It was Laura Roslin." Zane choked on water, then spat it out. "The Secretary of Education?!" He shouted.

"And 43rd in line of succession." Ron said, "That should tell you how bad it is. They killed the entire government." Then Ron pulled out another knife, this one being a Marine combat knife, and started cleaning his nails. "Roslin got lucky: she was on _Galactica_ when all hell started breaking loose. On the advice of Captain Apollo, she abandoned the civilians to rescue even more, which were on FTL-equipped ships."

"Apollo?" Sasha asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Lee Adama." Ronald confirmed, "He was escorting Colonial Heavy 798, or rather _Colonial One_ now, back to Caprica when the Cylons started nuking everything in sight."

Sasha sighed. "The Adama family is a troubled one." She said, "Ha'la'tha, Cylons, now this."

"Well, to be honest, I'm not faulting Captain Adama for his choices." Ronald pointed out, "He saved 50,000 lives in exchange for 9,500. Hate to make this a numbers game, but that's what it comes down to when it comes to the survival of our species." He picked up a walnut. "Besides, I can't blame a fellow Dirt-Eater." He said, as Zane looked at Ron in shock. "You're Tauron?" He asked.

"My father was." Ron confirmed, "Mother was from Aerilon. I was born on Caprica, but I worked my ass off to get where I am, so don't assume I had connections." He cracked the walnut open, then started picking out the edible parts. "Let's get our facts straight. One: _Galactica_ is missing, and it's likely that Roslin jumped the civilians here to be protected by _Galactica_, as we found stray hydrocarbons that are not from ANY military ship's engines. Two: _Pegasus_ is missing, and we're not looking for her unless Cain is dead. Three: the Cylons look like us now and one of them seduced Baltar, rewrote half the CNP and screwed over most of the fleet. Four: some ships have not been accounted for. Survivors from the battles over Virgon, Picon and Caprica confirmed that some ships jumped away before the Cylons could nuke them. Those ships include the Battlestars _Valkyrie,_ _Yashuman_ and more. Either they survived or the Cylons killed them after those blind jumps."

"So there could be more military assets out there." Zane said hopefully as Ron nodded. "Highly damaged, yes, but still highly valuable." He said, "There's also the fact that there's more civilian ships to be found. Roslin only found her fleet in close proximity of Caprica and Gemenion. I've got 10 ships minimum looking for anyone she missed."

"Which ones?" Sasha asked.

"Don't know." Ron said with a shrug "Won't know until their respective task forces come in."

"How many men and women in each one?" Sasha asked, leaning over her table "I might as well get a census."

"We only lost a few people at Hades Station: they're at Helios Beta at the moment." Ronald began, "The Colonial Corps of Engineers has about nine hundred thousand men, 6000 officers and 9000 Marines, not including the people on _Prometheus_."

"_Prometheus_?" Zane asked.

"She's our ultra heavy cargo ship, built from the hull of a _Zeus_-Class BSD." He elaborated, "She's filled to the brim with supplies, reservists and marines: it only needs 300 people to actually run the vessel herself." The two regular military officers felt faint as Ronald continued. "We were planning on handing over the _Zeus_, her sisters and half-sisters to the regular fleet next month."

He stood up, cleaned up the walnut mess and smiled. "Since you refuse to take command officially, and I have heard that you feel that Commander Adama is better suited to be Fleet Admiral, which is something I agree with, what do you think we should do after we find the last civilian survivors? Find _Galactica_?"

Sasha nodded. "That's...not a bad idea." She said, sighing as she pushed back a stray hair behind her ear "I'm in WAY over my head here. How the hell you haven't completely lost your mind running the CCE, I will never know."

Ronald let out a dry chuckle at that "Helps that most of the CCE are actually Non-Coms." He said, "Hell, so was I, so don't be surprised if I call you an idiot at times, because once a knuckledragger, ALWAYS a knuckledragger." He saluted, then left Sasha's quarters.

"Well, that's perfect." Sasha muttered, "The man just minted me as acting commodore of the Colonial Fleet."

"Under Admiral Adama." Zane commented as he leaned back against the wall with a sigh "I can't believe that most of the fleet is gone."

"Not all of it." Sasha said, shaking her head "We're still here, the CCE only lost ONE ship and there's more military ships out there somewhere."

"And enough Cylons to really screw us." Zane added, but then suddenly the alarm klaxons went off. "_Action Stations, Action Stations! Set Condition One throughout the ship! Repeat-_" Sasha and Zane ran out of her quarters and took to CIC as fast as they could.

"Report!" Sasha said as they ran inside.

"Five ships: two large contacts and three smaller ones." the DRADIS Operator said. "We haven't gotten Colonial ID yet-"

"Launch Vipers and prepare for combat!" Sasha ordered immediately, "If they aren't giving off Colonial ID and they're Cylons, we'll take them out. If they're Colonial ships that are damaged, we'll help them." She looked at the DRADIS. "Swallow's out there. Tell her to check out the ships. If they're Cylons, she'll start screaming." CIC shared a brief laugh.

"Mercury, _Swallow: they're Colonial! One _Jupiter_-Class, one _Mercury_-Class and three _Valkyries!" Sasha briefly smiled. "Which ones?" She asked.

"Mercury_-Class... no way... it's the _Atlantia_!_" Sasha felt lighter as she smiled. If _Atlantia _survived, then Admiral Nagala was alive! "_Ma'am, _Atlantia _Actual's requesting to speak with you_."

"Patch him though, Swallow!" Sasha said.

"_Actually, ma'am, it's she._"

Sasha's smile dropped as she facepalm "Oh, frak." She muttered "Nagala IS dead." She sighed as picked up the phone. "_Mercury_ Actual."

"_This is Captain Maya Ibuki!_" A rather younger voice said, causing Sasha to blink in surprise "_Thank the Gods!_"

"Captain?" She asked, "Are you...the only senior officer left on _Atlantia_?"

"_Well, Major Smith is in sickbay, and I was next in line._" Maya said, "_I can't tell you how good it is to see you._"

"Mercury, _Psycho: Atlantia looks like shit._" Ronald's voice came through on the Comm "_There's no way she'll survive another jump_."

Sasha did not like the sound of that. "How bad?" She asked.

"_I'm seeing multiple cracks in the hull._" He said, "_Her back broke with that last jump. Recommend we evacuate her and strip the ship down to her bones_. _The flight pods are still intact, so we can use those, maybe make a few more Pocket Pod Carriers._"

"Damn it." Sasha muttered off the Comm before she raised the Earpiece back up "Captain, I assume you heard that?"

"_Yeah, but there's a bit of a problem."_ She said with a sigh,_ "Someone tried to kill Major Smith. I...I think she's a Cylon_."

Sasha and Zane shared a look, the latter of whom gulped. "_Actual, Psycho: the Cylons have got to have a limited gene pool: Raiders and humanoids have to share genetic traits._" Ronald said, "_If I can run a few tests_-"

"Lt. Colonel, get your ass on _Atlantia_ and secure that prisoner." Sasha ordered, interrupting Ron. "Put her on the first Raptor to _Mercury_."

"_Copy that. _Atlantia_, I'm coming in_!"

Sasha huffed out a breath. "Captain, how many people are left on your ship?" She asked on the comm.

"_We lost most of the command staff._" Maya said, "_Admiral Nagala was killed when we jumped. We're down to around three quarters of our crew._"

Sasha sighed. "Lt. Colonel Pinkerton will be landing in a moment." He said, "Escort him to your prisoner, and make sure she's alive. I think the Colonel will be rather angry if she's dead."

"_Understood, Commander._"

* * *

**Battlestar Atlantia - **

**Port flight pod**

* * *

If there was anything that pissed off Ron, it was the sight of a ruined Battlestar. And _Atlantia_ was VERY ruined. "Oh, Gods." He muttered as his Viper Mk III approached the vessel. The only thing keeping the ship together was the armor plating. And barely, at that. "_Atlantia_, Psycho: I'm on approach. Hands-on landing."

"_Wait a second, Psycho! The auto-landing system-_"

"Is for pussies." He cut the link off as he flipped around and came to a stop, landing the Mk III on the pad. "I'm on the lift, you fraking idiots!" He shouted, "Get me inside!" The lift started going down, and entered the hanger airlock. The hatches closed and the airlock repressurized.

Ron took off his helmet. "Fraking pansies." He muttered under his breath. As the Viper entered the hangar itself, he saw that everyone was too busy repairing Vipers and Raptors to notice him come in. "HEY!" He shouted, and suddenly everyone turned to face the Colonel. "Where the frak is your LSO? I need to chew him out for being an idiot!"

"Right here, Colonel." A voice said behind him, and Ron turned to face a man that wore glasses and was about a foot shorter then him. "Captain Makoto Hyuga, sir."

"I don't have time for auto-landings." Ron said, "Hands on is faster. Where's your prisoner?"

"Uh, in the brig." Makoto said, "She tried to kill Major Smith, but we stopped her before she could put another round into him."

"WHERE. IS. SHE?!" Ronald shouted in the man's face, making it seem as if Makoto had shrunk two sizes. "The brig! She's in the brig!" He cried out, as the LSO ran off screaming. Considering that Ron weighed close to 270 pounds and was a foot taller, that wasn't surprising.

"This ship has six brigs." He snarled "WHICH ONE?!" Facepalming himself, he walked off, using his superior knowledge of the _Mercury_-Class (even a damaged one) to find it. He searched all six, only finding the prisoner in Brig 6, furthest from all of them.

The woman wore a Colonial flight suit, had dirty blonde hair and looked VERY familiar. "Holy crap, you look like D'Anna Biers." Ron muttered, as he lightly banged on the glass, waking her up. "I'm awake! I'm awake!" The woman said, as she sat back up.

"Well, that's a good thing." Ron said, as the woman froze before she looked at the Colonel. "Oh, frak." She groaned as she paled a bit "You." "Yeah, me." Ronald said, "You're a fraking Cylon. Well, it's a pleasure..." He looked at her rank pins. "Lieutenant."

A pair of Marines entered the room. "Get her to a Raptor." He ordered, "And make sure its safe. I want her alive."

* * *

**6 hours later - **

**Battlestar Mercury**

* * *

Sasha walked into what was a storage room, transformed by the Lieutenant Colonel into his private lab. "I do not want to know where he got this shit." She muttered as she looked over all of the assorted items inside.

"I'm over here, Commander!" Ronald said, and she turned to find the man wearing a white lab coat over green fatigues. The Raider brain sat on a table, with the Colonel cutting into it and putting pieces into a blender of sorts.

Sasha sighed, "Do I want to know?" she asked rhetorically.

"I'm testing our friend's blood against the Raider's brain tissue." He answered, as he put the blender on 'frappe', leaving it on for three minutes.

"Don't you just need some of the damned thing's blood?" Sasha asked.

"It's dried up, and thus, unusable." Ron answered quickly, as she raised an eyebrow and spotted something that would give her nightmares that night. "Is that a nuclear warhead?" Sasha nearly demanded.

"Yes, it is." Ron answered, still calm. "I'm using it to make a Cylon detector of sorts." Sasha simply looked lost. "A Cylon detector?" She asked for confirmation

"Yeah." Ron said simply, leaving Sasha to pinch the bridge of her nose again and sighed.

'_Great._' She thought,_ 'An insane man, no matter how brilliant, with a NUCLEAR WARHEAD is bad..._' The whole lab was haphazardly set up, considering that it was not on a CCE ship. Then she spotted the hulking form of a Cylon Centurion, only it was missing its' head.

"Ah, I see you spotted Sparky." Ronald said, causing Sasha to blink as she turned to him.

"You NAMED this thing?" She asked, and Ron nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. And I found this." He pulled out a small device, shaped like a car remote.

"What is it? Wireless transmitter?" She asked, as she looked at the object.

"No. It's called a telencephalic inhibitor." Ron said, "Without these things in the heads of the Centurions, they could easily become sentient."

Sasha rose her eyebrow "And HOW would you know what they do?" She asked. Ronald bowed his head in shame. "I...came up with the original design during the War." He stated, "Not my proudest moment." He pulled out the Centurion's head and put it back onto the chassis. "Whoa, that's not a good idea, Colonel!" Sasha shouted, waving her hands before Ronald just waved her off.

"Relax." He said, "If you were REALLY looking, you'd've noticed the arms and legs aren't attached." He reconnected the wires and the Centurion came back online. The first thing to turn on was the red eye. Sasha gulped as she watched it go back and forth. Back and forth. "I wouldn't stare at the eye." Ron said with a smirk "You might unnerve the poor thing."

She looked at the Colonel and he walked up to the Centurion. "Can you understand me?" It nodded. "Ok. I'm going to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind. Nod for yes, shake for no."

Sasha watched the surreal scene: a man TALKING to a Cylon Centurion.

"Did you have this installed on purpose?" Ron asked, as he pulled up the inhibitor in front of the Centurion.

Nod.

"Did you request it to be installed?" He asked.

Shake.

"Can you speak?" He asked

Shake.

"For the love of Athena, Ares and Hephaestus!" Ron shouted in outrage "The Cylons made you look badass! Why the hell wouldn't they make you SOUND badass?!"

Sasha smacked her forehead. It was official. The Colonel had lost his marbles. ALL of his marbles. "_Commander Urei, CIC. Commander Urei, CIC._" Sasha, thankful for the excuse to leave, went for the door. "I'll leave to to your work, Colonel." She said, "Don't blow up the ship."

"I can't guarantee anything!"

* * *

_**Later**_

**Mercury - **_**CIC**_

* * *

Sasha strode into the CIC where Zane was waiting for her "Report, what's happening?" She asked.

"Raptor 059 just messaged in," Zane said as they pulled out a map of the Cyrannus System "They jumped into Helios Delta and they got a positive I.D on the _Pegasus _and 15 Civilian Ships."

"_Pegasus?_" Sasha asked, and Zane nodded. "Yeah, but they stayed outside DRADIS range," he said. "But they were close enough to pick up some Comm traffic..." he then groaned a bit "Its... confirmed, Rear Admiral Cain is still alive and in command."

Sasha cursed at that, "Frak..." she muttered, "What's the _Pegasus _doing? And the Civilians?"

"Their last report said the _Pegasus _was lying just outside the civilian fleet's formation." Zane said, "Raptor 059 should be reporting back in soon though so we can find out what's going on over there."

The phone rang, and Sasha picked it up. "Actual." She said.

"_Ma'am, this is Colonel Pinkerton._" Ronald said on the Comm, "_What the hell is going on? The Centurion's going haywire down here, and it's nothing _I_ did._"

"Bad news." Sasha said as she braced. "Cain's alive."

"_FRAK!_" Ron shouted causing Sasha and everyone else on CIC to flinch "_PLEASE tell me they haven't found us!_"

"No, but Raptor 059 located them and Cain seems to have found a civilian fleet, and _Pegasus _had appeared to suffer slight damage."

"_Commander, you know EXACTLY what Cain is going to do._" Ron said, "_We have to stop her!_"

"We can't!" Sasha said with a regretful sigh "If we send a ship, Cain could capture it and find out where we are."

"_Then send me." _Ron said,_ "The CCE's been working on a pod-mounted FTL drive. I can fit it to my Mk III and jump in. Cain still has zero authority over the Colonial Corps of Engineers, so I can tell her to suck it._"

"Uh...Ok..." Sasha said surprised but nodded. "Do it. Find out what's going on. And how many of those pods do you have?"

"_Three._" He said, "_I can fit one each to a pair of your Mk VIIs and I'll calculate the jump coordinates there and back._"

"Then do it." Sasha ordered, "Get down to the hanger RFN!"

"_Copy that, ma'am. My ass in on its' way!_" The line then cut out.

"Do you get the feeling that every time he gets promoted, he gets crazier?" Zane said to no-one in particular, and Sasha gave her XO an 'Are you STUPID?!' look. "Never mind."

Sasha just shook her head and turned to the Comm Operator "Tell Terminator and Hydrain of Gelb Team to suit up and get in their Vipers!" She ordered, as the Comm officer nodded to issue the order. "They are to serve under Ronald once their Vipers are prepped with the FTL pods."

* * *

_**Later, Starboard Flight Pod**_

* * *

Ron removed the 50mm cannon and got it out from under the Viper. "Where the frak are those ammo pods?!" He shouted.

"Right here, sir!" An engineer shouted as he wheeled two 30mm magazine extenders over to him and the Viper III. "Sir, we're going to have to remove the 40mm-"

"Nonsense." He said as he grabbed one of the hardpoints and fit it on TOP of the wing. (**RON AN: The SEPECAT Jaguar can do this, and I don't see any reason for the Vipers not to be able to**)

"Uh-"

"Every Viper can mount overwing hardpoints." He said, "Everyone's just too stupid to notice." Ron smirked as he looked at the expression on his face. "Stop gaping, Chief. It's unbefitting of a knuckledragger." He said, "Grab the other one and fit it to the same place on the port wing while I get the ammo pod attached."

The crews got to work while everyone else gawked at the sight. "Stop acting like a bunch of idiots!" He shouted. "Where the frak are the FTL pods?!"

As soon as he said that, a trio of bomb-shaped pods were wheeled over as Ron secured the magazine extender. (**RON AN: To imagine one of the FTL pods, picture the Mk 82 500-pound bomb**) "Alright, get one of those under my Viper!" He ordered, "Chief, the second hardpoint?!" The second one finally locked into place. "Ready, sir!" He announced.

"Good." Ron said with a nod, "Get the extender on it while I install the FTL drive pod." Ron walked to the dolly and helped wheel the pod into place, then crawled under his Viper to fix the pod to the 40-year old fighter, then secured it to the hardpoint that normally would have held the 50mm cannon or a nuclear missile. "Pod's secure! Chief?!"

"Extender's fit!" The Chief Engineer said, "We're good, boss!"

The Colonel grabbed his helmet and the flight collar, then secured both to his head and neck for an airtight seal. "Get this Viper in the tube!" Ron ordered as he jumped into the Viper, closed the hatch and secured himself to the seat as the Mk III was fit inside the launch tube. Everyone discovered that he was right: the launch tube was big enough to fit the awkward looking Viper.

"Shooter, Psycho: my ass. Space. NOW!" He shouted, wanting to avoid the otherwise useless chatter. The Shooter nodded "Roger that, sir." He said as he hit the launch sequence, as the Mk III was shot into the vacuum, followed by two Mk VII's colored tan with brown camo patterns, fit with the other two FTL pods and similar magazine extenders, only under the wings.

"_This is Major Obert 'Terminator' Jager and Lieutenant Rainer 'Hydrain' Altman of the 'Gelb' 23rd Tactical Fighter Squadron,_" The first Viper pilot said, "_We're on your wings Colonel, awaiting FTL Jump Coordinates._"

"Good. Sending them to you now." Ron said as he sent the Coordinates "Bit of advice: don't hold onto the stick while we jump. You'll be dizzy the first few times."

"_How would you know that?_" Terminator asked.

"Because I tested it and nearly crashed." He answered, "Hands-off jump. On my mark: 3, 2, 1, JUMP!" He pressed a button and jumped the Mk III, followed by both Mk VIIs.

All three reappeared, and the Mk VIIs started drifting a little as their pilots fought the vertigo caused by the FTL jump.

"_Holy shit..._" Hydrain moaned, resisting the urge to barf a bit.

"And that, boys, is why we don't fit FTL drives to Vipers." Ronald said, "Unless they're Viper VIII Deltas or Betas, of course. Those drives are more advanced and don't cause the pilot to lose his stomach contents." He pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked through them, spotting his bad 'daughter', _Pegasus_. "Poor girl." He said sadly, "I wish you didn't have to be commanded by that bitch Cain." However, seconds later, _Pegasus_ jumped away.

"FRAK!" Ronald cursed, "Hydrain, Psycho: jump back to _Mercury_! We're too late! Terminator, with me: we're covering that fleet-" Seconds later, a Cylon Baseship jumped in. "**DOUBLE** FRAK. NOW!"

Hydrain's Viper banked to port and jumped back to _Mercury_. "Terminator, how good are you?"

"_I'm no Starbuck, but I know how to knock a few Raiders out of the sky._" Terminator answered, as his Viper VII lined up on Ron's wing.

"Then get ready to rack up a few dozen more kills!" Ron shouted, "We are their sole defense until _Mercury_ gets here! Maximum burn, RFN!" Both Vipers kicked in their afterburners and sped toward the civilians. "Civilian vessels, this is Lt Colonel Ronald Pinkerton flying Viper 589, callsign Psycho, assigned to Battlestar _Mercury_: please respond." He said on the comm, only to receive no answer. "Frak. Terminator, Psycho: split up and shoot at the bastards until you run out of ammo!"

"_And after that?_"

"You throw rocks at them." Ron's advice seemed to be _very _unhelpful.

"_Oh, godsdamn it._" He muttered but complied as at least 72 Raiders sped toward the civilians, missiles loaded and ready to fire. "Time to teach you Cylons brats the meaning of respect!" Ron shouted, "Terminator, weapons free! KILL THE BASTARDS!"

"_Copy that!_" Terminator shouted, as he unleashed his Viper's Cannons on the Raiders. Using controlled bursts of fire to reduce recoil and save ammo. Out of five bursts he shot, three Cylon Raiders fell. But Terminator knew there were more where they came from. "_Hey, Lieutenant Colonel? If we survive this... Drinks are on me._" He said. "Don't talk like that!" Ron shouted, "The older pilots buy the drinks in my outfit, kid!"

The two pilots unleashed every last bullet and missile they had on their Vipers as the Raiders accelerated forward, some of them attempting to dodge, while others just stayed in formation likely to get a lock on the civilian vessels, and were gunned down quickly. "Damn it, where's _Mercury_?!" Ron shouted, as at that moment, the extenders exhausted their extra cannon rounds. Ron ejected them aft toward a pair of Raiders, using them as weapons unto themselves. The Raiders pancaked into the pods, the sheer force crushing their organic computers, killing them.

"_Colonel, I'm askosh!_" Terminator said, which was the one thing no Viper pilot wanted to hear: Askosh. In short, it meant OUT OF AMMO.

Ron checked his ammo counter: he was running low on 30mm rounds and he did not want to use the 40s near the civilians. "Shit. Get them to ram each other!" He said.

"_WHAT?!"_

"When I said 'throw rocks at them', I meant think creatively!" He said as he banked the Mk III, outsmarting three Raiders and making them ram into one another, killing all three and brain-panning another two, showing the younger pilot what he meant. He fired the last of his 30mm ammo at the Raiders, then snarled. "Askosh!" He shouted.

"_What do you mean, what about your gunpods?!_" Terminator asked.

"And risk hitting the civvies with shrapnel?!" Ron shouted in outrage. "Hell no!"

Thankfully, reinforcements jumped in: _Mercury _and _Vulture_ jumped in and launched their Vipers which quickly swarmed out of their launch tubes and into the defense.

"_Mercury_, Psycho: you got here just in time!" Ron said, however just as he said that a Raider rammed into the Mk III's ass end, taking out all three engines. "FRAK! _MERCURY_, LAUNCH THE SAR BIRD!" He shouted, as he said the words no pilot ever wanted to say. "I'M PUNCHING OUT!" He pulled the ejection handles, crossed his arms as the canopy flew off and left his dying Mk III behind, which was quickly gunned down and destroyed by a Raider that flew by mere moments later.

"Mercury, _Terminator: I've got a good ejection! He's alive!_" Terminator said.

Ronald sighed a bit in relief, but his relief was short-lived as another Raider flew toward the Colonel's seat. "Oh, shit." He muttered, as the Colonel spun the seat around, using it as a shield before the Raider opened fire. At that moment, he hopped out of it and grabbed onto the Raider's wing. "HOLY FRAKING SHIT!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

"_Terminator, what's going on?!_"

"_Mercury..._ you're not gonna believe this," Terminator said, as he looked at the sight with wide eyes "But... he's... he's trying to HIJACK the Raider!"

"_...Well, we always said he was insane." _Sasha said on the Comm surprisingly calm_ "This just confirms it._"

Ron found the button, kicked it, which opened the Raider's 'cockpit', pulled out his magnum revolver and fired 5 rounds into the Raider's brain. This effectively killed the Raider as its eye shut off. "_Mercury_, Psycho: I have the Raider." Ron said with a grin. "Don't shoot at the one shooting at the rest."

However, before Ron could get back into the fight, the Cylons, not wanting to get into a friendly fire situation, started jumping away. "COWARDS!" Ronald shouted, shaking his fist back and forth. "GET BACK HERE AND DIE LIKE MEN! YOUR ANCESTORS-" Everyone either tuned out or simply started laughing at the Colonel's rather...humorous rant.

* * *

_**Meanwhile, **_

_**CIC of the **_**Mercury**

* * *

Sasha shook her head as Ron's ranting echoed on the Comm's as she signalled their Comm Operator to hail the civilian ships. "This is Commander Sasha Urei of the Battlestar _Mercury_ to all civilian ships." she said. "Please respond. We have relief and medical teams on standby to help you."

"_Why the hell should we believe you?!_" Came the shouting reply, causing Sasha to blink "_The Pegasus just stripped us bare and killed ten people on the _Scylla!"

"WHAT?!" Sasha shouted, as Zane fell on his ass as his CO had shouted at the top of her lungs.

"_Yeah, the bitch told us to hand over parts, crew and 'important' passengers_!_ She even took over half our food supply_" The Voice said, "_When we didn't, she ordered her Marines to kill the families of anyone who refused to go! And they did_!"

Sasha's fury started to show in her features, her fists shaking in rage. Everyone in CIC wanted to get the hell out of there before she completely lost it. "Colonel... can you hear me?" She said on the Comm, barely keeping her anger in check.

"_I hear you, and I heard what he said on the wireless._" Ronald said, his voice sounding neutral, but anyone could _sense _the rage hidden within his voice. "_Those are acts of piracy, murder, and at least two counts of attempted genocide! Ma'am, now we have an excuse not to follow the bitch's orders! Request permission to hunt her down the moment I'm back on_ Vulture!"

"Denied. We're ALL going after her." Sasha said, glancing around CIC at everyone else present "Cain and whoever else that was involved will pay for this. That...BITCH-" She emphasized it with a punch to the map table "-has dishonored every man and woman wearing this uniform! Even the CYLONS are better then that!"

"_I'll mention Raptor Talon to counter that comment, but you're right:_" Ron said, "_She's just a fraking pirate wearing a Colonial Fleet uniform now, and anyone who follows her orders without hesitation is just as guilty_!"

Sasha looked at Zane, who picked himself off the floor after her last outburst. "Order the _Vulture _to begin sending repair teams to the civilian ships, bring them back up to FTL capacity, then jump us back to Ragnar."

"Ma'am?" Zane asked surprised.

"I need to address the fleet." She said, as she raised the phone to her ear and spoke. "Colonel-"

"_I'm coming with you._" Ronald said, "Vulture's _crew are good at their jobs. They don't need me micromanaging them_."

"Then the moment your Raider lands, we jump back to Ragnar." She said, and she hung up the phone and looked at her XO. Zane was shaking like a leaf, and he had every right to. His CO was TERRIFYING when she was pissed. "Helm, plot a jump back to Ragnar and spin up FTL drives one and two." She ordered. The FTL Operator nodded as he plotted the jump coordinates.

"Commander, Raptor 029 is on board and Colonel Pinkerton is en route to CIC." The Flight Control Operator said, just as the FTL Drive Operator spoke "FTL drives one and two are spun up! FTL jump plotted!"

Sasha nodded "Then jump us to Ragnar."

_Mercury_ disappeared in a flash of light, then shortly after reappeared near the ad-hoc fleet of civilian and military ships. "Ensign, patch me in, ship and fleet-wide." She ordered. A minute later A bosun's whistle sounded throughout _Mercury_. "You're on, Commander." He said.

Sasha took in a breath, as she picked up the phone and rose it to her ear. "This is the Commander of the Battlestar _Mercury_." She said, as across both the Military and Civilian ships people stopped to listen "Less than two minutes ago, we found another civilian convoy fleet. This fleet had already been discovered by the Battlestar _Pegasus_." She then sighed a bit before she continued "We have just been informed... that Cain had the ships ordered to be stripped of their FTL drives, key personnel, food supplies and other necessities. When one ship, the _Scylla_, resisted...Cain ordered her Marines to kill the families of the people who refused to go... And they did." She waited for a few moments to let that fact sink in across the fleets.

"Under EVERY Colony's law, what Cain did is an act of piracy and murder!" She announced, "A crime against humanity! As of this moment, Rear Admiral Helena Cain is no longer an officer in the Colonial Fleet! Her vessel, the Battlestar _Pegasus_, is now a pirate ship! At this moment, the Cylons are not our primary concern, as this fleet has a new mission." Everyone waited for her to finish her sentence.

"We are going to hunt down _Pegasus_. Capture her. And put Cain and everyone who followed her orders to the sword for her crimes!" She announced, "In the name of the Gods, she will PAY!"

"SO SAY WE ALL!" A voice shouted, and everyone turned to see Ron, standing at parade rest just outside CIC. "So say we all!" Everyone else in CIC started chanting those words. Every person in every ship in the fleet, military and civilian, followed suit. "SO SAY WE ALL! SO SAY WE ALL! SO SAY WE ALL!" Everyone stopped chanting, but Ron said it one last time. "_**SO SAY WE ALL**_!"

Sasha nodded. "Thank you." She said, and she hung up the phone. "Colonel, we can't take the civilian ships with us for this." She said, "Protecting them and hunting down Cain would place a strain on our resources."

Ron sighed. "I know," He said, "But, much as I hate to say it..."

"What?" Sasha asked curiously.

"CCE has a hidden base at Helios Gamma Alpha Two." Ron finally said sighing "It has three orbital colony cylinders." Upon that announcement, everyone in CIC openly gaped at him in surprise. "Colonel, those things were supposed to be destroyed after the First Cylon War." Sasha said warily "You know just as well as I do the Cylons _loved _to crash them into planets."

"I know that." Ron said, "But here is a little fact, ma'am: _Zeus' _engines are VERY underpowered."

Sasha looked at Ron in confusion "What?" She asked.

"We used the colonies to test an artificial gravity-based propulsion system, because if it could move those things, it could move anything." Ron said with a grin, "It worked."

"And those colonies are still fit with these...AG engines?" Sasha asked for confirmation.

"We keep them maintained: they still have a few people on board, guarded by a pair of CCE _Titan_-Class quad-pod Strike Battlestars." Ronald answered.

Sasha nodded. "We still have a problem." She said, "If we take them with us, we'll be using sublight-"

"Ma'am, we moved them there in secret using military-grade FTL drives." Ronald interrupted her, "I mounted them myself."

"Weapons?"

"They're COVERED in CIWS turrets: 55mm, same as on the _Marathon_, plus the same flak guns on a Battlestar. A _Baseship _would have a hard time getting close, let alone Raiders."

"Very well then," Sasha said, "Then take _Imperator_ and _Athena_, get those things here."

"Yes, ma'am." He said with a salute, before he paused. "Which one? Your _Athena_ or the CCE one?"

"I don't care, take both if you want to!" Sasha said, before glancing at the map while Ronald left the CIC. "For now, let's see what forces we have right now."

Zane quickly pulled up a sheet which had a list of all of the military and civilian ships they had gathered.

"Alright, so far thanks to the CCE, we've so far found nearly 110 civilian ships that are being rerouted here to Ragnar," Zane said, "We have about over a hundred thousand civilians now. In terms of military force, we've got so far two _Mercury-_class Battlestars _Mercury _and _Spartan,_ three _Jupiter-_class Battlestars, four _Valkyrie-_class Battlestars, the two _Catamaran-_class Support tenders, and three _Defender-_class Corvettes. Recently, thankfully, CCE has redirected a handful more vessels, three ships who were fighting at Helios Delta 6 showed up not long ago, _Mercury-_class Battlestars '_Hades_' and _'Erasmus',_ and the _Titan-_class Strike Battlestar '_Titan_'. We also recently linked with the _Jupiter-_class '_Universal_' and the '_Orion II-_class '_Night Flight_'.'"

"The CCE have moved most of their fleets to Ragnar as well," he continued, "Excluding the forces they are using to search for more survivors. We got word that they found more civilians and military, but we don't know how many just yet. Won't know until they return from their runs."

Sasha nodded, "Considering most of the CCE survived the Cylon Attacks, our odds jumped up considerably." She said, before she sighed "But we can't stay here at Ragnar forever... let's just hope the Colonel returns soon with those Colonies, we can transfer the civilians onto them, and then..." she sighed again, "We hunt down Cain, and after that... we're leaving the Cyrannus System."

"Finding Cain in Cyrannus is unlikely." Zane pointed out, "If _Galactica_ survived, then the Cylons are going to hunt them down. And hunting the Cylons-"

"Will be Cain, while we hunt her." Sasha finished as she scoffed and chuckled. "This must be some kind of cosmic joke!"

"Well, our job is clear," Zane said, "Find any remaining civvies and Colonial Forces, search Cyrannus for Cain and she's not here, she's hunting the Cylons following _Galactica_...IF there are Cylons hunting _Galactica_."

"Bill's not an idiot, Colonel:" Sasha said shaking her head "He knows better than to go into a losing fight. Cain, on the other hand, will be like an insane drill sergeant ordering his people to go on suicide missions that they somehow survive."

* * *

**CCE Battlestar Athena - CIC**

* * *

While the _Athena_ was technically a _Mercury_-Class Battlestar, it was heavily modified. While in the yards, it was made larger by one kilometer in all axis. It also mounted the same 55mm CIWS turrets as the _Marathon _and had dorsal and ventral-mounted guns, unlike _Mercury_ and the rest of her half-siblings, granting extra firepower. "Board is green, Colonel." The _Mercury's _Major said, "Ship is ready to jump."

"Very well, Major Katsuragi: jump the ship." Ron said, as Major Misato Katsuragi, his female XO, looked at the helmsman, who pressed the jump key. The larger CCE Battlestar jumped away, followed by the regular fleet _Athena_ and _Imperator_. The three ships reappeared near the heavily defended base. "Contacts?" Ronald asked the DRADIS Operator.

"Just the asteroids-Wait, picking up the colonies and the _Raynor_." The Operator announced, and Ron smirked. "Perfect, Contact the _Raynor_ and tell the colonies to spin up their FTL drives." He said, "Tell them-"

"Contact!" The DRADIS Operator shouted as his face paled "Oh, shit!"

"What?!"

"Five Baseships, and at least 6,000 Raiders just jumped in!" The Operator announced, and Ronald let loose a curse "FRAK! Arm the nukes and launch all Vipers! It'll take twenty minutes to spool up the drives on the colonies!"

"Aye sir!"

"And jump a Raptor back to Ragnar: request reinforcements!" Ronald ordered, the Four Battlestars (one of them being VERY understaffed) could not and would not be able to hold off five Baseships and THAT MANY RAIDERS.

"Nukes are loaded and armed!" Fire Control said.

"Major Katsuragi, launch the nukes." Ronald said as he approached Fire Control "I'll take command of the batteries." His purple haired XO saluted and got to the control panel. "Launching nukes!" Four nuclear missiles launched from the _Athena_ and flew towards the Basestars, but the Cylons had learned from their disaster at Hades Station and launched missiles to intercept the nukes. But thankfully, too bad for the Cylons, they were all contact detonated.

All of the Nukes exploded, taking out most of the Raiders within the Cylon fleet's formation. With the reduced numbers, the Vipers would be able to hold off the Raiders until the colonies spooled up and jumped to Ragnar. "Colonel, new DRADIS contacts: looks like _Valkyrie_ and _Spartan_!" The DRADIS Operator said, and Ron chuckled as he took manual control of Dorsal Battery Two and fired directly at the lead Baseship. "Whoops. BYE!" He shouted, as the two rounds impacted the Baseship and exploded inside the hull, tearing off an arm. It was still intact, meaning that it could be captured later.

Under the firepower of this many ships, even five wouldn't stand a chance, as Battlestars (or ANY Colonial ship, for that matter) always and operated hunted in pairs. Modern Baseships, on the other hand, were simply designed to harass and kill defenseless ships over any kind, hence the frakton of missile batteries and lack of AA defenses, even if they were capable warships in the right hands.

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you looked at it, the Cylons realized this as well, as the remaining Baseships then jumped away, not contesting the Colonial presence. "_Valkyrie,_ _Athena _Actual: send a few Raptors to that Baseship fragment:" Ron ordered, "Try and stabilize it so we can learn a little bit more about who we're dealing with."

"_Copy that, Colonel._" The _Valkyrie's _Commander said, as the vessel approached the drifting Baseship. This was a golden opportunity to learn more about modern Baseship design, and Ron was NOT wasting it.

"Colonel, we're getting scattered reports of a large force near Gemenon." A Comm Operator said, "Ships of unknown configuration."

"Either they're CCE or Cylons." Ron said, "Tell _Mercury_ that we're going to investigate. They can join us if they want." He left CIC. "Where are you going?" The Major asked.

"Getting a Mk II." Ron said, "I'm a Viper pilot: I should be on the line."

"You're also the highest ranking CCE officer left!" The Major countered, "With Admiral Avalonia dead-"

"I'm giving command to Commander Urei." Ron said as he headed back for the door "I can't be stuck on one ship all the time!"

* * *

_**Battlestar **_**Mercury**_** - CIC**_

* * *

"Message coming in from Lieutenant Commander Pinkerton," The Comm Operator said on CIC, "'Engaged Cylon forces, defeated Baseships, and prepping Colonies for Ragnar FTL Jump. _Athena _will be jumping to Gemenon to investigate sightings of Unidentified Vessels. Aid would be appreciated-' Message ends."

Sasha nodded "Send a message back to them," she said, "The _Mercury _will Jump and see what's going on with _Athena,_ and send a message to the _Gallia _to remain on standby if we need support. Plot FTL Jump to Gemenon."

"Messages sent Commander," The Comm Operator said, just as the FTL Operator spoke up as well. "FTL Drives are spooling, and locking in Jump Coordinates!"

* * *

_**Meanwhile, Gemenon Orbit **_

* * *

Jaden groaned a bit as his, as consciousness finally returned to him "Fucking hell..." he muttered, shaking his head. "Did anyone get that _Musai's _Number?"

He glanced around, and quickly saw he was still in the cockpit of his Gouf All Regions type. All of the systems were still powered up, which was good. Air supply? Good, Ammo? Still got plenty of it.

He activated his Mobile Suit's sensors, and quickly saw that, as far as he knew, was still in the Shoal Zone from all of the debris floating around. However he couldn't see Garden of Thorns in visuals yet. '_Must of drifted away when I was Knocked out..._' thought to himself, before his sensors went off. He turned and saw Zar's Dolmel floating around close to him, as his unit was being to show signs of life as well.

He keyed the Comm "Yo, Zar!" He said as he approached the Red and Gold M.S "You alright Zar?"

He could hear a grunt on the Comm "_Well... I'm alive at least,_" Zar's voice was heard, "_Wait... where are we?_"

"Shoal Zone I think," Jaden said, "We must of been out for a while to drift this far..."

"_Jaden..._" Zar's voice said, a hint of fear in there causing Jaden to blink. "_Since when does Earth have two planets?_"

"What are you-" Jaden began, but Zar's Dolmel pointed behind him, and Jaden turned around. What he saw caused his eyes to widen, as he saw _two _Planets in the distance! "THE FUCK?" He shouted.

Life soon got worse as a massive ship, shaped like a six-armed starfish, simply flashed into existence. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING?!" Jaden shouted, before three more flashed into existence behind it, and it started launching horseshoe-shaped fighters.

"_Zar, what in the holy name of God is going on?!_" The voice of Nasha was heard, as both men looked behind them as they saw the _Argama,_ _Albion,_ and the _Nahel Argama_-Class ship in the distance along with the Garden of Thorns. "I'm going to assume that those two HMP beams hitting one another caused this." He said, "Come on! We have to defend the fleet!" The fighters arced in three directions: one headed towards the Federation fleet (meaning those big ass warships weren't EFSF) the second moved toward the SOF fleet and the third headed toward the Garden of Thorns. Oddly enough, they ignored the Mobile Suits for some reason (hint, hint) and targeted the warships. "Fuck! STOP THEM!"

* * *

**Battlestar Mercury - CIC**

* * *

"DRADIS contacts! Four, repeat, FOUR Cylon Baseships attacking the unknowns!" The DRADIS Operator shouted shortly after the _Mercury _completed its jump too Gemenon.

"Well, the Cylons made our choice for us!" Sasha said, "Action Stations! Set Condition One and launch all Vipers!" She looked at the DRADIS screen. While _Mercury _had a lot more fighters (_Marathon_'s air group was tacked onto theirs) four Baseships was a little too much for them to handle. Sasha picked up the phone. "_Athena_, _Mercury _Actual: Ron, what do you think?" She asked.

"_Uh, this is Major Katsuragi._" The Major said, "_Colonel Pinkerton's launching with the Vipers_."

"Fine. Coordinate our fire on the Baseships while we arm our nukes and use them in the air defense role." Sasha ordered, "_Get me Pinkerton._" Almost immediately after she said that, he was quickly on the Comm. "_Pinkerton_."

"Colonel, since you're so eager, contact those ships." She said,"Find out who they are!"

"_I'll tell you this much: they're not Colonial." _Ronald said, _"Not even the CCE has ships like those_."

"And the Cylons are attacking them." Sasha said, "Who are they?"

"_THAT, Commander, is the trillion cubit question. And it's one I'm going to try and answer_."

* * *

**Ron the True Fan: And there we go. (checks review count) HOLY SHIT! TEN REVIEWS! (Smiles evily) **

**117Jorn: *Grins like maniac* You know what that means!~ *Activates camera where ten Cavils stood in an Airlock* **

**Ron the True Fan: Can I push the button this time?**

**117Jorn: *Hands Ron the big red button* Fire away, Ron!**

**Ron the True Fan: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! DIE, CAVIL, DIE! (pushes button and airlocks the Cavils, then looks dejected) It's not as fun as gunning them down, but beggars can't be choosers.**

**117Jorn: Well, next time we can... mix it up a bit :D**

**Ron the True Fan: (Laughs Evilly) May the Cavil-ocalypse begin! Ja Ne, everybody!**


	3. Chapter 3

**117Jorn: HELLO Everyone! And once again me and Ron are here together with another installment of Law for the Wolves!**

**Ron the True Fan: (Walks over wearing **_**StarCraft II**_**-style CMC powered body armor and hefting a C-14 Impaler rifle) And this time, **_**Gundam **_**meets **_**Galactica**_**!**

**117Jorn: *Raises eyebrow* What's with the **_**StarCraft II**_** gear? This is **_**Galactica **_**and **_**Gundam**_**!**

**Ron the True Fan: Had an idea how to kill the Cavils this time round.**

**117Jorn: Ah! Perfect! So, let's not waste any time, and dive right on into the next chapter!**

* * *

_**Cyrannus System, Helios Alpha, **_

_**Gemenon Orbit, near Garden of Thorns**_

* * *

Rachel blinked as she regained consciousness, she managed to get back onto her feet, as she looked around the bridge, seeing everyone else was getting back onto their feet as well. "What the-" She began, but whatever she was going to say died in her throat as a horseshoe-shaped fighter flew toward the _Phoenix_. She raised her arms in a vain attempt to protect her head, but saw that she didn't need to as before it could fire, red tracers bit into the fighter and destroyed it.

A white and red tri-engine fighter flew past seconds later. The radio picked up intercepted transmissions from the unknown craft. "Mercury, _Psycho: I'm seeing some WEIRD shit here, ma'am!_"

"_Define 'weird', Colonel._"

"_I don't know: I'm seeing giant Cylons that are shooting at the Raiders! Does that count?!_"

"_...I'd say that does. _Marathon _Squadrons, keep those Raiders from the large humanoid contacts and the warships: I want fraking answers, people, and whoever's on those ships is going to give it to me!_"

"_Copy that, Commander!_"

Dizzy or not, confused or not, she had a battle to fight, and if those fighters were targeting every ship in the area, regardless of nationality, then she considered SOF an ally of convenience for now. Rachel got to the weapons controls and activated the Automatic CIWS.

* * *

**Mk II Viper 357, **

**piloted by Lt. Colonel Ronald Pinkerton, callsign Psycho**

* * *

"FRAK!" Ron shouted, as the AA guns on the ship he just saved opened up on ANYTHING that moved, Cylon or Colonial. "Psycho to all birds: watch out for the CIWS! These things aren't Colonial, so they'll track anything that moves!"

"_Copy, Colonel. Any wireless contact?_"

"As quiet as my aunt's house after a party and before everyone wakes up with hangovers." Ron said as he barrel-rolled away from the Unknown Vessel.

"_...That's not something we needed to know._"

"Hey, you wanted an answer!" Ron said. However as he flew, more of the unknown ships came online and started opening fire with their AA batteries, making going anywhere here them a VERY bad idea. "Shit." He muttered as he flipped a switch, activating the FTL pod under his Mk II and getting the hell out of the firing zone.

"_Psycho, Actual: Where did you go, what the hell happened?!_" Sasha shouted.

"Relax, Commander: I'm alive!" He said, as he looked back at the Cylons, who were getting slaughtered. The massive humanoid machines, both ones who looked like massive Cylons and ones who looked a bit more human-ish were fighting along-side the unknown warships, and tearing the Cylon's a new one in Close Quarter and Ranged combat. "The Cylons, on the other hand, aren't." He added.

Suddenly, he spotted a Raider coming at him and he had no time to jump, blind or controlled, or to shoot it down. "SHIT! NOT AGAIN!" He shouted as he was beginning to reach for the ejection handles when what looked like a grappling hook hit the underside of the Raider, and pulled it away from Ronald's Viper. He watched where it retracted too, just in time to see the Raider be bisected in half by a black and red colored Massive Cylon with a sword.

"_Hey, flyboy!_" A voice said coming from the Comm, and Ron could tell it was coming from the machine as it actually _waved _at him. "_You Alright? Lieutenant Commander Jaden Takeo, of the Swords of Freedom at your service!_"

Ronald looked at the machine in shock, but responded "I'm... fine, thanks for the hand." He said, "Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Pinkerton, Callsign Psycho of the Colonial Corps of Engineers! You're human?!"

There was a short pause before Jaden answered "_Uhh, yeah, what the hell else would I be?_" Jaden responded.

The Colonel's mind started racing. '_Oh, FRAK..._' He thought.

"_Listen Ronald, I don't know you, and you sure as hell don't know me I take it._" Jaden said, as his Machine approached his Viper. "_But I think its safe to say we're not enemies... and our _real _enemies are those weird Horseshoe fighters with Zaku heads. So how about you tell your people not to shoot at mine, so I can tell mine not to shoot at yours so we can kick these guys asses?_"

"I like you already." Ronald said with a small smirk "And we don't seem to have a translation issue when it comes to shit that needs to DIE. By the way, they're called Cylons. Cylon Raiders, to be exact. I'll get my CO on the horn: tell her that your...whatever those things are, are friendly. Copasetic?"

"_Copasetic._" Jaden said, "_And they're called Mobile Suits_." The black and red machine flew off, attacking the Raiders using a combination of Mid and Close Range weapons. "_Mercury,_ Psycho: did you hear all that?"

"_I did, Colonel_," Sasha said in a surprisingly calm voice "_And my 'what the frak' meter just broke_."

"I think EVERYONE'S just broke." He responded before he accessed the Comm's of all other Colonial Forces "Psycho to all fighters: giant ones are friendly, tiny ones are cannon fodder! SHOOT EM UP!" He reentered the fight, supporting the larger machines and downing any Raider that got close to the non-Colonial warships. "Takeo, Psycho: care to join me on an attack on the Baseship?"

"_Baseship?_" Jaden asked, "_Is that what that fucking starfish thing is?!_"

"...I barely understood that, but in a nutshell? YES." Ronald said.

"_Count me in, Psycho!_" Jaden said, as his Mobile Suit unleashed its Gatling Gun on several Raiders that charged them, gunning each of them down.

Ron smirked. Finally, he had found someone as crazy as he was! "Follow me in!" He said, as his Viper moved alongside his Mobile Suit "My Viper's faster then that...What is that thing, exactly? I know the general term's Mobile Suit, but-"

"_MS-07B-3H10 Gouf All Regions Type._" Jaden answered, "_Or Gouf AR Type for short._"

"Well, my Mk II's faster than your Gouf." Ron said, "You've got maneuverability down pat, though."

"_Psycho, this is Zar Hellfury:" _Zar said on the Comm, _"You're attacking their command ship?_"

"That's right!" Ronald said, as a force of Mobile Suits (unknown to Ron they were Zar's team of Gelgoog Marines and his Dromel at the time) formed up behind the Viper and Gouf. Ronald looked at the force and he couldn't help but grin "This should make them fall back." He said.

"Mercury_ to all ships: firing nuclear missiles!_" "Well, there goes that plan." Ron muttered before he shouted "FALL BACK!" The Viper Ivaned, kicking on the afterburners and shooting past the Mobile Suit team, while the suits themselves flipped around and dispersed away as two nuclear missiles flew over them. The Cylons, lacking ANY AA defenses, jumped away rather then suffer nuclear annihilation.

"_ASSHOLES!_" Jaden shouted, as he fired his Gatling Cannon at where the Baseship was, using what was left of his Ammo. "_COME BACK AND FIGHT YOU COWARDS!_" When the Gatling ran out, he detached it, and fired an entire clip from his 35mm Machine Guns.

The Colonel snarled a bit himself, but calmed down. "LTC Taeko, mind if I land on your ship?" "I believe we have much to discuss."

As Jaden took a deep breath to calm himself, Zar spoke up. "_Yeah, we're kind of wondering what the fuck is going on ourselves._" He said, "_I'll take to to the _Albion_: it's my home ship._"

"Understood, Commander Hellfury. _Mercury_, Psycho: stand down to Condition Two: all vessels are friendly."

"_Understood, Colonel._" Sasha said, "_We're getting wireless contact with some of the ships and ordering them to stand down._"

"Roger." Ronald said, "I'll find out what the frak's going on with our new friends." The red and gold MS led the smaller Viper and Jaden's Gouf AR Type to a ship that looked much like a winged horse. A hatch on the starboard 'foot' opened.

"I'm going to assume I can land in there." Ron said, as the Mk II entered the hanger, setting down on the deck, soon being followed by Zar and Jaden's M.S. The Colonel waited until the hatch was closed, then noticed three things: one, no one in the landing bay wore a standard uniform, reminding him of the early days of the Colonial Fleet, where standardization was a royal bitch. **(RON AN: This has been confirmed by the producers of **_**Blood and Chrome**_**)** Two, there was no artificial gravity, which did not comfort the man at all. Third, the ship's interior looked weathered, as if it was very old. "I don't like this." He muttered, "I do not like this at all." He took off his helmet and opened the canopy, exiting the Viper. "Godsdamn it." He snapped, "I'm not used to lack of gravity."

"Colonel?" A female voice said, and Ron looked to see a woman land beside him, seeming to master the art of travel in Zero Gravity "Nasha Artemis, co-leader of the Swords of Freedom. I assume you have a lot of questions, as we do?"

"Yeah. I do." Ron said, as he adjusted himself as best he could from Zero Gravity "I'm here to ask and to answer." He gestured to her. "After you. After all, I'm just a visitor."

"Then please follow me." Nasha said, as she made a small hop towards the hangar exit. Ronald tried to follow suit, but cursed as his angle went off. "Frak!" He muttered, but he felt a hand nudge him in the right direction towards the hangar, followed by a short sound of an air burst. He looked behind him, and saw a young man of 25 years of age with short spiked black hair, and crimson red eyes wearing a black and red flight suit of a make Ronald had never seen before.

"You'll get use to Zero G Colonel Pinkerton," the man said, his voice Ronald quickly Identified as Jaden's. "It'll be easier to move about once we get out of the hangar." Ronald just nodded as Jaden helped him towards the door to more narrow hallways. He watched as Jaden grabbed a small handle on the wall, which followed a wire that took him further into the ship. Ronald followed suit, grabbing one of the handles.

"I'll give you this though," Jaden said, "Zero G can be pretty weird to get use too... I sorta grew up with it myself, living in Garden of Thorns most of my life and living on Space ships. its not like living on Earth."

"Yeah sure..." Ronald muttered, before suddenly the Colonel paused, as his eyes widened. "WHAT?!" He shouted, and as Jaden and the others winced, the Gouf pilot was sure that everyone aboard the _Albion _(and possibly in space) heard that. "What the hell's your problem?!" Jaden shouted back, but Ronald still had a look of shock on his face as he looked at them all.

"You're from _Earth_?!" He said, pointing at them "The 13th fraking Colony?!"

"Colony?" Zar asked, "What do you mean by that?"

It was at this point that Ron discovered that they had a BIT of a problem. These guys weren't Colonial. They were from EARTH. "Oh, shit." He groaned.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Mercury **_**- CIC: 15 minutes later**

* * *

"Hang on a second. You're saying these people are from EARTH?!" Sasha asked for confirmation, her eyes were just as wide as everyone else on CIC.

"_You know, you're reacting the same way I did when they told me and the same way they did when I told them about the Colonies." _Ron commented, _"Maybe freaking out is a universal norm._" Sasha resisted breaking the phone in half in lieu of Pinkerton himself, who was still on the _Albion_. "Colonel, that's not funny!" She snapped.

"_Fraking Ares, woman, I try to calm you down and you take it the wrong way!_" Ron retorted, as Sasha sucked in a calming breath.

"Right. Sorry." She apologised, before continuing "Earth?"

"_They don't know about us._" Ron said, "_We barely know anything about them other then the name of their world. Either their ancestors erased all knowledge of their past or they crashed and didn't have a clue when they got there. Either/or, doesn't fraking matter._" He sighed a bit "_Good news is, I know Bill Adama. He'll probably give some grandiose speech that he knows where Earth is and that he'll lead them to it._"

"Does he?" Sasha asked in surprise.

"_No! He'll do it to give people hope._" Ron said, "_Any good commander worth a tenth of the salt they've got does that, and you KNOW it._" She tried picturing it and failed. "I don't think he can do that, Colonel." She said with a rather grim smile. "I don't think he's the type."

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- Somewhere near Prolmar Sector**

* * *

Adama lightly sneezed as the funeral for the dead pilots began. Elosha chanted in ancient Gemonese, praying for the pilots. "With heavy hearts, we lift up their bodies to you, oh Lords of Kobol." She chanted, "In the knowledge that you will take from them their burdens and grant them life eternal. We also pray that you look down upon us now, with mercy and with love, just as you did upon our forefathers many years ago. Just as you led us from Kobol and found the Twelve Worlds. So now we hope and pray that we will find a new home and begin life anew. So say we all."

Adama looked at his crew, giving them a mild glare. "So say we all!" More spoke up.

"So say we all."

"SO SAY WE ALL!"

"SO SAY WE ALL!"

He walked toward the bodies of his pilots. "Are they the lucky ones?" He asked, "That's what you're thinking, isn't it? We're a long way from home. We've jumped way beyond the Red Line, into uncharted space. Limited supplies, limited fuel. No allies, and now, no hope?" He then stood before them all, as he cast a gaze upon them all "Maybe it would have been better for us to have died quickly, back on the Colonies with our families, instead of dying out here slowly, in the emptiness of dark space."

He stepped forward a few steps "Where shall we go? What shall we do? 'Life here began out there'. Those are the first words of the sacred scrolls, and they were told to us by the Lords of Kobol, many countless centuries ago. And they made it perfectly clear that we are not alone in this universe."

He then glanced at Elosha "Elosha, there's a thirteenth colony of humankind, is there not?"

Elosha nodded. "Yes." She confirmed, "The scrolls tell us a Thirteenth Tribe left Kobol in the early days. They traveled far and made their home upon a planet called Earth, which circled a distant and unknown star."

"It's not unknown!" Adama shouted, causing everyone on the deck to appear shocked. "I know where it is!" He looked at all of the onlookers "Earth: the most guarded secret we have. The location was only known by the senior commanders of the fleet, and we dare not share it with the public. Not while there was a Cylon threat upon us. For now we have a refuge to go to. A refuge the Cylons know nothing about."

He then stepped back a bit "It won't be an easy journey." He said, "It'll be long, and arduous. But I promise you one thing: on the memory of those lying here before you, we shall find it, and Earth shall become our new home." He then paused as he looked at them all once again. "So say we all!" He shouted as he walked down the path between the dead pilots.

"SO SAY WE ALL!"

"SO SAY WE ALL!"

"SO SAY WE ALL!" As he reached the end, He turned and faced Elosha. "So say we all." He said only last time. Elosha nodded at him. "So say we all." She responded in kind, before He looked back at the crew. "Crew, Dismissed!"

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Mercury **_**- CIC**

* * *

"_500 cubits says that he does._" Ronald suddenly said, causing Sasha to blink. "What?!" She asked.

"_I'm going to ask him when we find him._" Ronald said, "_If he says he did, you owe me 500 cubits. If he doesn't, then I'll pay you._"

Sasha began to chuckle, before she started laughing loudly and clearly for the first time since the fall of the Colonies. "_Honestly, though._" Ron said,"_Those ships are our only link to Earth, and I'm not leaving them behind._"

"Agreed." Sasha said,"Work with them to install FTL drives on their ships."

"_The colony cylinder is my first priority:_" Ron said, "_The ships can all dock with it, and that makes my job easier. Now, if you excuse me, I have to meet with the leader of the Earth Federation fleet that attacked the Swords of Freedom._"

"Uh-"

"_Long story._" Ron said, "_I'll explain when I get back with Commander Hellfury and Captain Milsteen._" Then he hung up.

Sasha dropped the phone onto the table. "Colonel, you have the deck." She said, in a tired voice "I'm going to the port flight pod and getting VERY drunk." Zane looked at his CO with a startled look. "Ma'am?"

"The Chief has a still." She muttered, "EVERY Chief has a still. It's tradition. And I need to get really, REALLY drunk." She unbuttoned her uniform jacket and left CIC.

"Doesn't she know that Colonel Pinkerton's got better booze then the Chief could ever make on the Athena?" Someone on the CIC Commented.

* * *

**Garden of Thorns - **

**Military Headquarters - + 3 hours 30 minutes after first contact**

* * *

Ron had spent two hours trying to explain how the FTL drives worked to both Nasha and Rachel. And he wasn't exactly comfortable with the latter giving him those looks. It was obvious they were _not _very tech-savy. Eventually, he gave up and just yelled "MAGIC" at the top of his lungs.

He pulled out a pair of black gloves, then put them on. No one in the Garden would know what it meant, but anyone from the Colonies would give him a wide berth. He was Tauron, and he was mourning.

"Hey, Colonel?" He turned to face Jaden, who had accompanied him. "What's with the gloves?"

Ron sighed. "You're not Tauron." He muttered, "Hell, you're not even Colonial, but I'll try to explain it." He put up his hands. "When in mourning, we wear black gloves as a way to distance themselves from the world. I also plan on shaving my head." Jaden blinked and raised his eyebrow. "Why would you shave your head?" He asked.

"My father was Tauron, so I mourn in the Tauron way, but my mother was from Aerilon." He explained, "They shave their heads to mourn the deaths of loved ones." Jaden nodded, understanding in a way.

"Back on earth, its kinda similar." He said, as the two moved through the halls of the Garden of Thorns H.Q. "Different people had different ways of mourning on different parts of the planet. Though usually its all pretty similar. Not many people hold onto traditions very much now-days on Earth."

Ron chuckled. "My entire family is dead. Most were on Tauron for a family reunion. My mother, grandmother, aunts, uncles." He pulled out a knife. "Plan your return to the soil, as they say. The old ways are all I have left." The Colonial looked at the Terran. "What about you? Family back home?"

Jaden shrugged "Not entirely sure," he said. "When I was two, my parents both left me and my siblings with Zar and Nasha, they were the ones who took care of us, 'Cause they were close friends with my parents. Right now? The only family I got is with them, and everyone else in SOF... and the Scrap Vultures of course."

"Strap Vultures?" Ronald asked, raising his eyebrow.

"_Scrap _Vultures," Jaden said with a light chuckle, "They're an Independent group founded about a year before the One Year War kicked off, their a group of salvagers, repairmen, engineers, even mercenaries who deserted from either the Federation or Zeon sides of the conflicts. My parents were once members, the Vulture's mission is basically clearing up space debris, from old 20th Century satellites, to wrecks and debris from the past wars. Us Vultures sorta have a motto that everything has value, whether it be just scrap or junk you find, or if its something you value more closely." He then shook his head "Anyways, me and my siblings are members of the Scrap Vultures, and SOF. We help salvage old ships, repair and refit them with modern tech for both our own use, and for SOF to use."

"CCE does the same thing. My first job was on a Cylon War-era wreck: the Archeron. I found the wreck of a Cylon Raider-one of the older ones-inside the FTL drive. I found out later that William Adama destroyed it in a TURNING fight with a Raptor. Raptors are not built for turning. He killed a fighter in a fraking bomber/transport."

Jaden laughed a bit "I got a similar story," he said, "My own first mission as a Scap Vulture when I was 17, we were asked by the Federation that, after Stardust, we were to enter the Shoal Zone and locate a specific wrecked _Magellan-_class Battleship that was still armed with a few dozen non-detonated Nuclear Warheads from the Battle of Loum. Back then I only had a MS-05B Zaku I. Yet during the mission, we encountered a team of remnants from Delaz's and Cima's fleets who wanted those Nuke's to repeat the Operation. And they were packed with two Gelgoog Marines, a Zaku II F2 Type, and a Rick Dom II. I had to use _every trick I knew _to get out of that one alive... my Zaku I was trashed afterwards, but I downed one Gelgoog, and the Rick Dom. But I only managed to survive by hiding in the wreck of the Battleship I was suppose to find, and setting one of the Nuke's off on a timed Detonator. I barely escaped by finding an old RB-79 Ball and got the hell out of there before that Nuke went off!" He laughed a bit more, "On the flip side however, in doing that I stumbled across the Garden of Thorns by accident, and told Nasha and Zar about it. Since then, its been our own base."

He smiled slightly. This kid _was _just as crazy as he was. "I think you and I are gonna be getting along just fine, Jaden." He said, as he patted him on the back. "If your siblings are still around, I'd like to see you all on Athena at _1300_ hours local time tomorrow. I might have a job for you."

Jaden grinned at that, "I'll let em know next time I see them today," he said. "And I think you can help me on a few projects of my own." Ron stuck out his hand. "Do people on Earth shake hands, or that just a Colonial thing?" He asked, but Jaden just chuckled a bit, as he stuck out his own hand and shook it "Nope, its done on Earth too." He said. "Then I'll see you guys tomorrow on the _Athena_." He said, grinning "The bigger one, with crimson stripes on the flight pods."

"See you there," Jaden said, "I'll show up on time with my siblings, and a few other members of the Vultures. I think this is gonna be the beginning of a great friendship, Ronald." "Just call me Ron." He said, "All my friends do."

"Sure thing, Ron."

It was at that very moment, that across the Colonial, SOF, EFSF, and even _Cylon _Forces, that every last thinking being felt a _massive _chill go down their spines, as if a warning of the chaos to come.

* * *

_**One Day Later**_

**Athena **_**Port Flight Pod**_

* * *

It had been one day since the people of Earth had arrived at the 12 Colonies. After putting the Garden of Thorns through a brief refit, they had managed to instal a FTL drive onto the colony. Before they jumped it however, they gathered very last bit of debris and scrap that was carried with them from the Shoal Zone during their transmission, and loaded it onto the colony, as well as taking the wrecks of destroyed Cylon Raiders.

After the Garden of Thorns jumped to Ragnar along with the other Cylinder Colonies, the civilians were allowed to board the colonies, eager to leave the cramp compartments of their ships for more open spaces. Some people even moved into the Garden of Thorns, to find out what people from the 13th Tribe were like.

And as time went by, more and more civilians, and survivors of the Colonial Fleet made their way to Ragnar, with the help of CCE. And their numbers were beginning to grow steadily as the damage, while still severe to them all, began looking less so.

Now, on the _Athena, _Ronald awaited for the arrival of Jaden and his siblings. As they had already approached on the _Hell Hawk, _and bringing with them a Vultures _Papua-_class Supply Ship which Jaden told him was loaded with 'Gifts'. Ron's mission, however, was foremost in his mind. He wanted to give the Vultures firsthand experience in repairing Colonial warships. What better way then finding, repairing and bringing back a Battlestar?

He rubbed his now-shaved head as the Zeon supply ship entered the pod. "Major Katsuragi." He said to the Major who stood next to him.

"Yes, Colonel?" She asked.

"Get the pilot's briefing room ready, and inform the Vulture that I'll be heading over in 45 minutes with...special personnel." He said, as Misato understood and left wordlessly. He then sighed as he looked at the _Papua._"What the hell are those people offloading that could be taking this long?" He asked.

Then the hatch opened, revealing Jaden, a number of men and women, and inside the transport he could see what looked like Mobile Suits. "Jaden." Ron said with a nodd, "Welcome aboard the Athena. Care to introduce me?"

Jaden grinned as he gestured to the two flanking his left and right, on his left was a man who looked about a year older than him, with longer and shaggier black hair, and dark green eyes. And on his right was a woman about Jaden's age, with shoulder length crimson red hair, and dark green eyes. "Ron, this is my older brother Matthew, and my twin sister Amy." He introduced as both siblings waved their hands hello. "The rest are some of the top Scrap Vultures we have, along with a few engineers from the SOF, and a few from the Federation who wanted to come."

Ron nodded as he looked at the Mobile Suits being carried out of the _Papua _by MS-06W Worker Zaku's. "I see your 'gifts' are Mobile Suits of some kind." He said, "I haven't seen these ones."

"That's because their Models built exclusively for us Vultures and SOF," he said, as they approached the first M.S. "These, are the TMSF-081 Patriots. They were originally designed off of the frame of the older GM Model, the RGM-79C GM Type C, also known as the GM Kai. However we took the basic frame, but we modernized it through the years with the same engine, systems and armor you'd find on the more advance MSA-003 Nemo's. They have all of the armaments of both a GM and a Nemo, with a few additions, such as the Heat Saber Type D III stored on its left hip. Over the years, we've made other variants of the Patriots, including the High Mobility 'Mach' Patriot, the Ground-type Patriot Grenadier, the Stealth and Sniper Type Shadow Patriot, and the Aquatic Warfare 'Patriot Marine'."

Jaden grinned "In order to firmly establish the alliance and friendship between us all, we are giving both the Colonials and CCE Ten Patriot Normal Types, four Grenadiers, two Mach Patriots, a Shadow, and a Marine."

"The last one looks VERY different." Ronald said, as he pointed at a golden-colored M.S near the back of the ship, with a V Head crest "What type is that?"

Jaden grinned more, "That, is your machine Ron." Jaden said, as Ron looked at him in surprise, "It's one of the M.S from the _Argama, _she's the MSN-001 Delta Gundam. Gundam's are considered among the _greatest _M.S developed by human hands, the Zeon feared these machines, and since then they have always been given the best armor, weapons, systems and features. They are only given to the best pilots."

Ron started smiling. "I'll have to ask you for training later." He said, a bit of eagerness in his voice to see what the M.S could do. "Please, everyone, follow me to the briefing room. I'll tell you what we're doing today."

He led them to the pilot's briefing room which was only a short walk away. Upon entering, Ronald stood at the podium and waited for everyone to take their seats. "It is now 1307 hours. Sync with me...Mark!" He said, and everyone adjusted their watches accordingly. "Alright, people. Originally, this was my way of doing what you just did: extending a friendship gesture." He then smirked a bit "But you bastards beat me to it, so instead, I'm just going to come out and say it. In 38 minutes, we are going to go on board the _Orion_-Class stealth pocket Battlestar _Vulture_ and jump into orbit of Virgon to salvage a Battlestar of the _Mercury_-Class. This ship will be given to both the Swords of Freedom and the Earth Federation Space Forces." It let that sink in for a moment before continuing. "This ship is going to be a mixed one: CCE personnel working alongside you guys. We are going to fix it, bring it back and refit it."

"Sounds like the perfect Job for the Vultures," Jaden said with a grin, "I've been dying to see what fixing up one of your Battlestars will be like. Its good we're prepared for this, our _Papua_ is carrying a bunch of RB-79 Balls, mostly Type K's and Type C's along with a few Work Types."

"How good are they in a fight?" Ronald asked.

"Not the greatest, but the Type C's are armed with Manipulator Arms and a 180mm recoilless cannon, and the Type K's are armed with a duel-barreled 180mm recoilless cannon, Arms, and a Rocket-Guided Grappling Wench. Not the most ideal for fighting Mobile Suits, but they should handle Cylon Raiders easily enough."

Ron nodded. "How good are you guys at using firearms?" He asked.

"We're good enough." Jaden answered, "Its pretty standard that everyone in the Vultures at least knows how to use a side-arm. Why do you ask?"

Ron then produced a picture of a modern Cylon Centurion. "I've taken a look at your guns." He said, "They wouldn't make a fraking DENT in one of those, and the Cylons perform boarding actions all the time." He then pulled out his sidearm, a 5.7mm handgun with a 20mm underbarrel launcher. "In five minutes, we are going to the Deck 5 Arms Locker, pick up one gun per person and six explosive rounds apiece. Now, we are NOT going to be supported by _Vulture_ in this operation: an _Orion_-Class PBS is built to act as a spaceborne EWACS and spy vessel. It is NOT built to take on Baseships."

Amy raised her hand, making the bald man smirk and remember his days teaching at the Academy. "Yes?" He said, pointing to her, as Amy spoke "Why is that?" She asked.

"Ah, so naive." He said with a chuckle before he pulled out a pair of what looked like thick welding goggles from the podium. "When you've got some free time, put this on and find out." He tossed it to her. "We will be taking a trio of CCE Raptors to the wreck. Don't be surprised to see any dead bodies, and if you do see any, treat them with respect." He looked at his watch. "It's 1310 hours, local time. Please follow me to the arms locker."

Everyone stood up and followed the Colonel through the ship. "The _Athena's_ pretty big." Jaden commented, as he looked down"Still not use to the artificial gravity."

"We've had it since we left Kobol 5000 years ago." Ron said, "Some ships prefer using the tried-and-true rotational blocks, but ships like that aren't maneuverable enough for military purposes." Matthew walked up beside the Colonel. "Any reason the Cylons aren't attacking us?" He asked.

"I asked myself the same question and came up with two answers that are closely linked:" Ron said, as he brought out two fingers "One, the Cylons are scared pissless of the sheer amount of firepower we have." This got a laugh out of everyone. "Two, when the Cylons destroyed the Battlestar _Prometheus_, the wreckage destroyed a large, unknown ship. After it was destroyed, the Cylons jumped away scared. Baseships are command and control, so it's not that. I plan on running us past our Cylon prisoner later."

"Cylon prisoner?" Jaden asked in surprise, "What do you mean by that?" Ron looked at Jaden as they reached the Arms Locker. "They look like us now." He announced, as he unlocked the hatch and opened it. Inside were guns. Lots and LOTS of guns. "The CCE is a two-part organization. We build and rebuild warships for the Colonial Fleet and develop new weapons for them." He grabbed what looked like a Heckler and Koch G36K and three magazines.

Jaden glanced at the rifle in surprise at how similar it, and many other weapons looked like ones from Earth. "A lot of these weapons look like they're from Earth..." Jaden stated, as he picked up what looked like a UMP45.

"I've come up with an explanation as to why that is: parallel evolution." He said, "Two men came up with the same idea thousands of lightyears apart." He fit an AG36 grenade launcher to the assault rifle.

Jaden hummed in thought as he looked at the UMP45, and then back at Ron's rifle before an idea struck him and he remembered something "Hey Ron," he said, grabbing his attention. "You said explosive ammo is the only ammo type that damages Centurions, right?"

"Or a shitton of bullets." Ron said, "I took out a squad of Centurions using non-explosive 30mm rounds from my Viper."

"What about Lasers, or energy weapons?" Jaden asked, causing Ron to raise his eyebrows in surprise. "You see, early in the one year war, Zeon was working on making Small Arms laser weapons for infantry to utilize, however its development was pushed back in favor of making more Mobile Suits, and the fact Zeon had no real _need _for Lasers since standard weapons worked fine. I sorta came across some of the older specs for the laser pistol, and I've been working on making it as sorta of a part-time project... never put too much effort into it since we never really had a _desire _to need a Laser Pistol or Rifle. You think Lasers would do better against Cylon Armor?"

"We tried making laser weapons during the First Cylon War, but the bastards kept attacking the research stations and ships, so the project was abandoned." Ron explained, "Explosive rounds were easier to make, anyways. But yeah, lasers would be perfect."

"Well, how 'bout after this mission I'll send you guys the specs I've been working with for these weapons?" Jaden asked, as he picked up some explosive ammo "You might be able to make some more progress with it that I have so far, but considering us from Earth already have ship-grade energy weapons like Beam Cannons and Mega Particle Cannons, it should make development easier for both of us." He then paused as a thought crossed his mind "Also, have you ever thought of making bullets that are tipped or covered with the same material used in Centurion Armor?"

"Cylon armor changes too quickly." Ron stated simply, "At first, the U-87s and 0005s had fiberglass armor, then steel, then chrome-plated steel. Heavy assault models needed the explosive rounds. Now most of the Centurions need it."

"Colonel!" Misato entered the arms locker.

"Yes, Major?" Ronald asked.

"The _Cerberus_ just came back with that Baseship fragment." The Major answered. Ron smiled and nodded "Good." he said, "Tell them to keep it on ice until we get back." Ron took off the rank pins off his collar, then removed his uniform jacket. "Consider yourself an honorary member of the Colonial Corps of Engineers, kid." He said, as he draped it onto Jaden's shoulders like a cape, then left the locker as Jaden blinked in surprise.

Misato herself looked at Jaden in surprise, but with a small smile "You should be honored, kid." She said, "He rarely does that. Usually someone else recruits for him. Only when someone REALLY catches his eye does he personally bring them in." Misato left the locker, leaving Jaden to think about what just happened.

Jaden smiled a bit, before he adjusted the coat and slipped his hands though the sleeves and kept the jacket on as he looked at the other Vultures in the room. "Well, hurry up guys!" He said, "We've got ourselves a Battlestar to salvage! Grab your gear, and lets get to the flight pod and start transferring those Balls onto the _Vulture!_"

* * *

_**Later, on the **_**Vulture**

* * *

Once the Scrap Vultures had gotten their gear, they had transferred all of the RB-79 Balls from the _Papua-_class, onto the _Vulture _herself. The name of the vessel causing a few members of the Scrap Vultures to chuckle a bit. Once the Balls were secured in the _Vulture's _hangar, Jaden met up with Ron on the _Vulture's _CIC. "Watch your head." Ron warned, just seconds before he heard a loud BANG followed by Jaden curses, as Ron simply smiled in amusement. "Warned you, kid."

Jaden muttered a few more times before he glanced around, and saw that everyone in CIC was looking at him, or more accurately, the jacket he was wearing. "Ron, what's with the stares?" He asked.

"Oh, right." Ron said with a light chuckle "The jacket. It means I've taken you under my wing: that you're my protege. I have only done that twice before in my tenure as CCE field marshal: once for Ritsuko Akagi, and once for her mother, Naoko."

He turned to face the DRADIS screen before he continued. "In reality, we're teaching each other: you're teaching me how everything works back where you're from and I'm teaching you how everything works around here." He patted the seat beside him. "Sit down. I have something for you." He said, and Jaden numbly sat in the seat beside Ron as he pulled out a pair of goggles like the ones he gave Amy.

"This is called a holoband." he explained, "It's military issue, so that means it's a LOT more durable than the civilian versions. It used to be pretty popular on every world during and before the last war." Ron leaned back in his seat. "Now the only people who use it are the CCE." He glanced at Jaden with a smirk "Now the Scrap Vultures use it, through you." He placed it in Jaden's hands. "A gift, from teacher to student, and from student to teacher."

Jaden grinned before both started cracking up and laughing. "Colonel, we're ready to jump into Virgon orbit." The FTL Operator said.

"Execute the jump." Ron said as the XO nodded pressed the button, jumping _Vulture_ to the IP. "DRADIS is clear." The DRADIS Operator said.

Ronald nodded "Good, engage stealth mode." He ordered, just seconds before the DRADIS went nuts "FRAK! DRADIS contacts!" The Operator shouted, "Two Cylon baseships, a lot of Raiders and a large unknown!"

Ron remained calm, as he nodded. "Hide us in Thor's shadow." He said, "Baseships can't see us on DRADIS and they produce too much heat for them to see us on thermals, but if one of their Raiders spots us, they'll launch nukes and this mission will be over!"

The tiny _Orion_-Class PBS hid near the wreck of the _Mercury_-Class _Thor_, virtually invisible. Ron leaned forward in his seat. "Get me high-res photos of the Cylon fleet." He said, "We might as well take advantage of this opportunity."

"What about the Battlestar?" Jaden asked. "What if the Cylons-"

"The Cylons will pass by." Ron reassured, "They're looking for Cain or any civilians they missed." He smirked a bit. "Put the band on."

Jaden did as he was told and put it on over his eyes. Ron flipped a switch and Jaden left his body behind, suddenly arriving in a lab of some sort. "Where-" He began before Ron interrupted him.

"Welcome!" He turned to face Ron, wearing his uniform and a white lab coat. "This is V-World. To be exact, my personal lab in V-World Caprica City."

Jaden looked around in amazement, as he looked at himself as he was now wearing a similar coat, only with the CCE Coat still on him. "This... is... Awesome!" He said with a face-splitting grin.

"Just like me when I made this place." Ron said with an amused smirk, "Stop gawking at yourself, kid. We've got a gun to build."

Jaden quickly nodded as he put the thoughts of how amazing the V-World was, as he turned to Ron "Alright, where do we begin?" He asked, clapping his hands together. "First..." Ron produced a G36K out of thin air, to the younger man's amazement. "We look at the strengths and weaknesses of the weapons were have, then look at ways to make laser-based weapons using existing weapon chassis' as a basis, and a way to make them relatively cheap and easy to build." He began field stripping the G36K on the table. "I bet you're wondering how I can make things out of thin air in here. Questions like 'can I do that?' are following out of you like water through a teapot."

Jaden could just nod "Pretty much, yeah." He said, as he looked around one more time "The closest to Virtual Reality like this we've ever came to was the Simulation systems for training Mobile Suit pilots... but we've never made something this detailed."

"Well, Daniel Graystone was a fraking genius." Ron commented, "He built the first holoband 70 years ago. 12 years later, he built the first Cylon: the prototype U-87." He looked at the younger pilot. "What I am going to tell you scares the shit out of anyone I've ever told. Take a seat."

"But there's no-" Jaden began to say, but Ron pushed him and Jaden landed in a comfortable chair. "You forget: I can make anything here." He said with a small grin, "In fact, his daughter taught me how to do this. She was a lot better then I was, but I'm pretty good." He snapped his fingers, sitting down in a chair. "Zoe Graystone died in a maglev bombing just before the U-87 came online. I met her 8 years later."

Jaden rose an eyebrow "Wait... how can you meet someone... who died eight years after their death?" He asked in confusion.

"Zoe created an avatar program." Ron explained, "It made a perfect replica of her mind. She survived in V-World. Then her father took her and placed her in the MCP installed in the U-87. Graystone fathered his daughter twice: once as a human, once as a Cylon. I met the Zoe Avatar, whom I call Zoe-R, four years into the war. She HATED the fact that humanity and Cylons were fighting. I agreed with her, but we both agreed that there was little we could do about it."

"Thankfully, in the 12th year of the war, Adama crash landed on an ice moon." He said as he started smiling. "After he parachuted down to a Cylon-occupied moon looking really pissed off, the Cylons sued for peace. Rather than face the prospect of a young and severely enraged William Adama running around on a Cylon-occupied planet with a crowbar, the Cylons made a hasty retreat and signed the Armistice in record time." The ridiculousness of that comment caused both men to laugh their asses off.

"Adama sounds like one hell of a guy," Jaden said with a loud laugh, "He'd probably give someone like Bright Noa a run for their money!"

"Just don't look him in the eye." Ron warned with a grin, "He's got something I call the Adama Glare. No man can withstand it. Anyone that screwed up under his command, including family, are NEVER the same when they get hit with that thing. I bet even the Cylons are terrified of it!" He resisted laughing. For a total of five seconds.

"I heard Bright's got a similar thing for himself," Jaden said, grinning a bit "The infamous 'Bright Slap', from what I heard, a few slaps from him and he makes some of the most angsty and wimpy kids who fought in the OYW, Gryps, and the Neo Zeon War into _real _pilots. Like Amuro Ray, Kamille Bidan, and Judau Ashta, some of the best pilots who served under him."

"I would pay to have those two meet." Ron said with a loud chuckle "Either Adama would glare Bright to death or Bright would slap Adama!"

"If they _do _meet, I'll be watching with a chair and popcorn!" Jaden said with a smile. "But I gotta ask... what was so important about this Cylon moon that forced the Cylon's to agree to peace that they didn't want Adama to destroy?"

"More like discover." Ron said as he sighed, leaning back in his chair "They were experimenting on people down there. I think what they did there helped with the creation of the organic models, or at the very least, pointed them in the right direction."

Ron looked up suddenly as he groaned. "Frak. The Cylons just jumped away." Ron put his hands around where the holoband was in real life. "Follow my lead and we'll be back on _Vulture_." He gripped the band in real life and removed it, exiting V-World. Jaden copied his actions, arriving back on the PBS. "Just when you think you've got time, you don't." Ron muttered as he turned back to Jaden "Get suited up, Jaden. We're heading for the _Thor_."

* * *

_**Minutes Later, **_

_**Space outside **_**Vulture**

* * *

A few minutes later, the _Vulture _launched all of the Ball's that were brought onboard by the Vultures, as well as a few Raptors as well. The Craft moved quickly towards the massive wreck that was the _Mercury-_class Battlestar _Thor._

Jaden himself was inside the cockpit of his own RB-79K Ball Type K. He looked out the front screen of the Ball, and saw the damage the vessel had. It was a total mess as it looked like the Battlestar had taken numerous missile hits on the hull and Flight pods leaving open many holes. However he could see that other than that, the ship looked remarkably intact. Jaden could tell that if they could get its FTL running as well as strengthen the hull a bit, they could give it enough power to Jump back to Ragnar where its real refit program can begin.

"_Keep your eyes peeled, kids!_" Ron warned on the Comm, as his CCE Raptor entered view. "_The Cylons are known to leave behind Centurion kill teams to kill salvagers! If you see something moving and it's shiny, shoot first and ask questions later!_"

"_PERFECT._" Amy groaned on the comm, as her RB-79C Ball Type C flew next to Jaden's "_Giant killer robots on a ship filled with dead people._"

"_Show some respect, Amy:_" Matthew said, his RB-79F Ball Type F moving next to Amy and Jaden's. "_Those people died defending their homes and families._"

"_I know that!_" Amy retorted, "_It's bad enough I just recently finished playing that one 21st Century game, _Dead Space_... this is gonna give me _nightmares, _I just know it..._"

Jaden just chuckled a bit, as they finally reached the _Thor _itself. "Alright people, we're here." He said, "I believe our first job is to find the _Thor's _CIC, and get it up and running. Once there, we start working on restoring the ships engines and FTL Drives. Also, it looks like the superstructure took a few good hits as well, so we'd best fix those up as best we can or she'll get torn in half just from the Jump. And like the Colonel said, keep your eyes open for Centurions."

The Vultures all acknowledged, as half of the Ball's moved towards the hull of the vessel, these ones carrying the materials needed to patch up the Superstructure and hull of the Battlestar. The remaining Balls and the Raptors approached the Starboard Flight Pod, where they gently entered and landed without a sound. "_Away Team, _Vulture_: we're jumping out of here before the Cylons show up again." _The _Vulture _Commander said, _"You're on your own, guys_."

"Vulture, _Psycho: copy_." Ronald said, as the _Vulture _jumped away, leaving them alone in the night.

"Why did they jump?" Jaden asked in surprise.

"Motivation." Ronald answered, "The only way we're getting back is with the ship. That's why none of the Raptors we brought have FTL drives."

"WHAT?!"

"_Welcome to the Corps, kids._" A CCE Engineer said, "_Where the only way you go home is if you complete the job_!" Ron laughed as he opened the hatch and left his Raptor with the very few CCE personnel he brought with him, who carried parts they would need for the repairs. "Jaden, with me: we're going to Aft Damage Control and Secondary Fire Control." He said, as he turned to the others. "Everyone else: CIC. Remember, this may look like _Athena_, but _Athena's_ bigger. WAY bigger. Stay with the CCE personnel at all times."

"Why do I get the feeling he just told us not to get lost?" Amy asked, and one of the CCE repairmen chuckled. "Because he just did. Move, kids. We got a ship to fix and 12 hours of oxygen to fix it with!"

Jaden left his Ball and used his Normal Suit's Thrust pack to move toward Ron. Artificial gravity was offline: they would have to do this the old fashioned way. "Follow me." Ron said as he walked toward a hatch, as if gravity was still online causing Jaden to look at him shocked. "How the-"

Ron's smile, although unseen, was clearly heard through his voice. "Mag boots!" He responded quickly as he opened the hatch, using his G36K to light the corridors.

"Why are we heading for Aft Damage Control?" Jaden asked, as he followed him, "Shouldn't we be heading for CIC?"

"Kid, lesson one in Cylon Tactics: never go for the primaries." Ron answered, "Secondary is where you need to be. If there are Cylons on this ship, and I will bet my left testacle that there are, they will vent our air the moment we take off our helmets."

"...Ok..." Jaden said as he slightly shivered at the thought of that, before he shook his head "So we're hunting the Cylons down?"

"Good news is that they still have a weakness from their 0005 counterparts: weak neck joints." Ron confirmed, "You can snap them like a twig." Both made their way through the ship, and Jaden noticed the lack of bodies.

"Amy, bringing up that old game was a BAD idea..." He muttered to himself.

"This corridor isn't used for evacuations." Ron said quickly, "That's why it's clear." However as they reached a junction, they found their first body. It was riddled with bullets, and the rank pins stated that it was the ship's XO. Jaden looked at the frozen blood that was still attached to the man's uniform.

"Don't touch the body." Ron said, as Jaden glanced at him "Respect his final resting place and keep moving." Ron expertly ducked under the frozen corpse and entered Aft Damage Control, and was quickly followed by Jaden. Inside were the bodies at least 12 enlisted men and women.

Jaden managed to resist the urge to puke, as he had seen his fair share of bodies in space in the Shoal Zone in wretched One year War ships. He noted that all of them did not have any signs that they were trying to escape. They died at their posts. "May the Higher and Lower Lords of Kobol forgive us for this act of sacrilege." Ron started moving the bodies and laid them on the floor, closing their eye and saying a quick prayer for each one.

"You've had to do this before?" Jaden asked, as Ron nodded. "Remember that mission on the Archeron?" He said, "I had to move EVERY body on that wreck. Do you know what the crew complement of a Jupiter-Class Battlestar is?" Jaden shook his head, fearing that the answer was going to be VERY high up in numbers. "3200 men and women." He answered, "I stayed at the Temple of Athena for _WEEKS _repenting before I was told that if I didn't want to do it, but HAD to do it, then there was nothing wrong. Still, I don't like disturbing peoples' final resting spots."

Jaden sighed a bit and he nodded, "I know the feeling," he said, causing Ron to look up at him in surprise "As a Scrap Vulture, our primary objective is salvaging ships and M.S, clearing up debris. But after the One Year War, we've had a secondary objective. When we find a derelict ship or Mobile Suit in space, we make it a mission to locate its deceased crew members or pilots, Identify them, and make sure their bodies are sent back to their homelands. Weather they be Zeon or Federation, they deserve proper burials." Jaden shook his head "No one deserves to be just left and forgotten in the coldness of space... "

Before Ron could respond to that, ahead they saw lights. RED lights. "Jaden, get down!" Ron hissed, as Jaden ducked under a console as a Cylon Centurion walked VERY close to ADC.

Jaden was scared out of his wits. "Scared?" Ron whispered as Jaden looked at Ron. "Don't worry. The only ones who aren't are either stupid or insane." Ron pointed the G36K at the Centurion and opened fire, hitting the eye slit three times and blinding the Cylon. The experienced Colonel then fired a 40mm grenade at the Centurion, destroying it in a small explosion. "Holy shit!" Jaden shouted, before he looked at Ron. "How can you do that and not even blink?!"

"I was a Marine before I was a knuckledragger before I was a pilot." He answered while he reloaded the grenade launcher. "Away Team, Psycho: Cylon presence on board _Thor_ confirmed. Repeat: We have encountered Cylon Centurions on board." Cursing of all kinds was heard over the wireless. He then glanced at Jaden "We've got work to do." He said.

* * *

_**Battlestar **_**Thor**_** - CIC**_

* * *

Amy and Matthew, along with three other Scrap Vultures and a CCE Engineer stood outside the door which lead to CIC. Matthew was on the door control, while the others had their weapons out ready to storm the room if Cylons were inside.

Matthew then raised his hand, and waved inside as the doors unlocked and opened, and quickly they flooded into the room, weapons raised as they scanned the inside. A few seconds passed, before Amy said "Clear!" And Matthew followed them inside. Inside the CIC, there was some open space in the CIC like on the _Athena,_ and there were no signs of Cylons inside. However there certainly were signs that they _were _there, as there were multiple bodies still floating in Zero G, including the captain of the _Thor _himself. "Oh, God, that's just WRONG!" Amy whispered with wide eyes. A few of the bodies were torn in half, and others were headless. Frozen blood and gore was all that was keeping the bodies from drifting apart in some sickening mess.

"Can we get life support back online?" Amy groaned, looking a bit pale "I need to puke."

"Amen to that." Matthew muttered. However the CCE engineers didn't seem to be affected at all by the sight of the mutilated bodies. "Fraking bastards haven't changed at all." He muttered, causing Matthew to look at him in shock "They've done this before?!" He asked.

"Yeah, during the first war." He said as he turned to another CCE Engineer. "Secure the bodies. Remove their dogtags." The Engineer nodded and got to work. "We're going to get life support back online, kids." He opened his kit and pulled out a tablet computer and a power cell. "Amy, get that hooked up to the computers!" He ordered, "I need to wipe them before the Cylons get back: they could use the back door again and kill us!" Amy, not wanting to stay in CIC one moment longer, ran out with the cell and hooked it into the power grid, reactivating the computers.

"Chief Morse to Colonel Pinkerton." He said on the Comm.

"_Psycho here: report._"

"I don't think you want to come to CIC, Colonel." he said.

"_What, it's that bad?_" Ronald asked,"_It can't be as bad as Brenik._" THAT actually made one of the newer female CCE engineer vomit. "No, but it's pretty nasty." Morse said.

"_Figured._" Ronald said, "_Looks like the modern Centurions have little experience in psychological warfare. At least the 0005s fraked with your heads._" Ronald sighed a bit "_Status on the computers?_"

"We've got power and I'm wiping them of the CNP now." He said. "Life support will be online in about 15 minutes."

"_We've secured Aft Damage Control, but I damaged the controls, so the Cylons can't vent our air again._" Ron said,"_You know my policy, Chief: air first, then secure the bodies. Gravity is the last thing we restore._"

"Copy, Colonel." The Chief said, just as Amy walked back into CIC, resisting the urge to vomit again. "_Brenik_? Is that a colony?" She asked.

"Ship." The Chief answered, "Cylons boarded it and killed most of the crew. They got the hell out of there and left the ship to rot. We found it years later, and believe me..." He looked at the bodies. "The Cylons were a LOT more brutal than this on the _Brenik_."

"Were you there?" Amy asked, but he shook his head "No, but the Colonel was." He said, "And he took pictures as an educational tool: desensitize the salvage crews, make them focus on their jobs, not the bodies." More vomiting was heard from one of the newer CCE Engineers. "But we're still human. We try to move the bodies, put them in bodybags and bury the remains on their homeworlds, but with _Brenik_...Colonel ordered it to be jumped into Helios Gamma. Reusing it would be wrong."

"And this ship?" Amy asked a bit hesitantly.

"_Thor_ was mostly evacuated according to the logs." The Chief said, "Only 500 dead. A fully loaded Mercury can carry 6800." Amy finally lost it and puked.

* * *

**Battlestar Thor - near Secondary Fire Control**

* * *

Ron had just informed Jaden about the _Brenik_, and saluted his student's ability to keep his stomach contents where they belonged. "They pulled the bodies apart?" He asked incrediously.

"The 0005s HATED us." Ron confirmed, "It wasn't enough that they killed us. The U-87s were more...merciful and left the bodies alone."

Jaden groaned a bit "Jesus..." he muttered, "What the hell is _wrong _with those things?" However, before Ronald could come up with a retort, Then bullets started flying at them. "FRAK! Cover, now!" He shouted as the two took cover inside the Corridors. A squad of Centurions were just outside Secondary Fire Control, the very place they needed to be.

"We need to get in there!" Ronald shouted from the weapons fire.

"Kind of missing the point as to why, Colonel!" Jaden shouted/Asked back.

"Think, kid!" Ron said, "If those idiots get the FTL drive online and jump us back to Ragnar, the toasters will turn the guns on the civilians that haven't moved to the colony cylinders yet!" Jaden paled at that. "NOW you get it." Ron said as he got out of his cover. He fired a grenade at the Centurions, killing three and knocking out one. But Seven Centurions were still inside.

"How come there are more here than at Aft Damage Control?!" Jaden asked, as Ron dumped the remaining ammo in his clip into a Centurion's head, blinding it. "CCE policy is to secure Secondary Fire Control first, THEN Aft Damage Control!" He answered, as he swapped clips and pulled out his FN Five-SeveN. (**RON AN: This is the handgun used in Season Two onwards. It uses the same 5.7mm round fired by the P90 which is also seen during the first season of **_**BSG **_**and made famous by **_**Stargate SG-1**_**. It's also made by the same people: Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal**) "I made the choice to secure ADC first BECAUSE the Cylons knew that!"

He fit an explosive round into the launcher, took aim at a Centurion's head and fired, destroying it as its body fell to the floor. At that moment however, both of his guns jammed. "Frak! Jaden, take over!" He shouted as he got back into cover "I've got a hangfire!"

Jaden pulled out his UMP45 and started firing at the Centurions, actually disabling one of them and killing it. He grinned "Ha! I got one!" He shouted.

"Take cover!" Ron warned, as Jaden moved back as the Centurions opened fire. Ron finally corrected the hangfire and blindfired the G36K, managing to kill a Centurion. "Reminds me of my old days on Scorpia with Sergeant Major Thrace!" He shouted with a grin "Duck and cover, lock and load!" He laughed as he reloaded the G36K's grenade launcher. "BOOM, BITCH!" He fired, killing all but one Centurion.

The last Centurion approached, readying its own guns. But Jaden came out of cover and unloaded his ammo clip on it, a few of the shots hit its upper torso, but a handful of shots actually managed to hit its head, causing it to separate the head from the body as it fell down to the floor dead.

Both men looked at the Cylon, then at each other, then back at the Cylon "Kid, I have never been able to do that with anything short of a .50 caliber sniper rifle." Ron said amazed, "You are one HELL of a shot!"

Jaden grinned a bit sheepishly, as he shrugged "Thanks." He said, as Ron chuckled as they moved into SFC. "CIC, Psycho: Secondary fire Control secured." He said, before he added "Remind me to give Jaden a medal."

"_Copy that, Colonel. ...Wait, WHY is Jaden getting a medal?_"

"For being a badass!" Ron shouted with a grin "He killed a Centurion by taking its' head off with a gun! Popped it right out of its' socket!" Laughter and whooping were heard on the other end. Ron turned to Jaden. "If you were one of my people, you'd be getting a promotion, too." Ron said as he shook his head "But you aren't, which is a damned shame." And Ron actually sounded pissed off that Jaden wasn't actually CCE.

"The Cylons here were taken out with our guns with ease." Jaden said, glancing at both his gun and the Cylon 'corpses' around them.

"These guys weren't expecting a heavily armed CCE commando team." Ron answered with a shrug, "If they were, ALL of them would've been heavy assault models, and both of us would be dead." Behind them, One Centurion was still alive, and tried pointing its' gun-arm at Ron. But a warning from Jaden allowed Ron to respond by firing every round in his Five-SeveN into the Centurion's head. "Ok. The Cylons are dead." Ron said, "Let's go fix the FTL drive and go home." Ron led Jaden into the bowels of the ship.

* * *

_**Later, Battlestar **_**Thor**

* * *

After several sweeps through the _Thor, _the CCE/Scrap Vulture teams had successfully removed all Cylon Centurions from the Battlestar's interior from stem to stern. And shortly afterwards, Life Support, FTL, and Fire Control were restored on the Battlestar once again, but they still had yet to repair the artificial gravity systems, as they still had to recover the bodies.

Outside the _Thor, _the Ball's were making good progress in making their own makeshift repairs with the Battlestar, patching up what holes they could, and reinforcing its superstructure so it can survive the Jump back to Ragnar. Slowly but surely, the Battlestar was coming back to life.

"IT'S ALIVE!" Ron shouted at the top of his lungs in CIC, while everyone minus Jaden facepalmed at Ron's Frankenstein-style declaration, while Jaden just chuckled a bit. "Oh, come on! It works!" He said, and Jaden patted Ron on the shoulder. "Ignore them." He said, "We have a ship to bring home."

Ron hopped over to the FTL console. "OK, kids, let's go 'round the horn!" he said, "Sublight?" Amy, at the helm, gave a thumbs up. But Ron, however, didn't see it. "SUBLIGHT?" Jaden sighed. "Go." He said,

"Thank you. DRADIS?"

Matthew looked at the DRADIS screens. "Go."

"Weapons?" Jaden walked over to the weapons console. "Go!"

"Life support?" Morse leaned into CIC. "Go!"

Ron started typing in the revised FTL coordinates. "Board is green." He confirmed, "Are all craft aboard? If anyone's still out there, we're leaving them behind." Jaden made a quick check. "All craft are on board."

"Very well." Ronald said, "This might snap a few structural braces and vent the air into space, so get those helmets on." Everyone donned their helmets (cleaned, in the cases of those who vomited) and secured them. "Jump in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!"

He pressed the button, jumping _Thor_ to Ragnar. When it reappeared, Ron was proven right as _Thor_ flexed slightly in all directions. But they were alive and they still had air. "DRADIS? Is the fleet still there?" He asked.

Jaden checked the DRADIS. "Yeah, the fleet's still there." He said. Ron nodded as he turned to Jaden's sister "Amy, follow your brother's directions to the letter and dock us with Shipyard 3." He said, as Amy nodded, having never steered a Battlestar before. "Aye, Colonel." She said.

Ron then turned around "I'm going to engineering to see if I can get some more power out of the engines." He said.

"Or get more of them online?" Jaden asked, and Ron nodded. "Yeah, that too." He said as he headed out of CIC.

Jaden stood in CIC, '_So... in command of a Battlestar._' He thought to himself, '_Weird image, but it works._' "Come right, 20 degrees." He ordered.

"Thor, Athena:_ We're sending over engineering teams to take the ship into port._" The Major's voice said on the Comm, as Jaden picked up the phone. "Copy, _Athena._" He said, as he watched as a flight of Raptors launched from the CCE Battlestar.

"Amy, slow us down." Jaden said to his sister, "We're about to be relieved." Amy cut the engines completely, then leaned back in her chair. "Thank God _that's _over with..." She whispered, causing Morse to look at her oddly. "Don't you mean the gods?" He asked, causing the other Earthlings to look at him with the same odd gaze. "Uhh...No..." Amy sad, and Morse's eyes widened

"Oh, frak." He Shouted, "You're all monotheists?!"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" Amy asked with a raised eyebrow. Then they heard Ron's voice over Morse's handset. "_Morse, shut the frak up._" Ron said,"_I can hear you from engineering...OVER the machinery._"

"Colonel, they're monotheists!" Morse retorted, and Jaden could somehow tell Ron rolled his eyes. "_So? Does it look like I give a shit? We take in everyone, religion be damned."_

"Colonel-"

"_Morse, either shut up or walk into an airlock. Your choice._" Morse shut his trap as CCE pilots and crew walked into CIC. "We'll take over from here, kids." The lead Engineer said, "Heard you guys had a hell of a day."

Amy scoffed. "THAT is an understatement." She said as she got out of her seat as they took over operations. Jaden left CIC, heading for the hanger and his Ball.

"Jaden!" A voice behind him said, as Jaden turned and saw Ron suddenly appear from behind him. "Heading back to your ship?"

"Yeah." Jaden said, nodding "Need to get some stuff ready, what's up, Ron?"

"You looked doubtful when I said the Cylons look like us now." Ron said with a small grin "Want to see proof?"

Jaden looked at him in surprise, but he nodded. "Alright." He said, "Show me."

* * *

**Battlestar Mercury - 1 hour later**

* * *

Ron led Jaden to the _Mercury's _brig. "Don't be fooled by the outward appearance." He warned, "The prisoner is a machine." He opened the doors, leading them inside, and giving Jaden his first look at a humanoid Cylon. The first thing Jaden immediately and most obviously took note of first was that the Cylon, was Female. And a very attractive one at that, looking just about his age if not a bit older. For some reason, Jaden couldn't keep his eyes off her. Like something just... drew him in.

Ron glanced at him, And if he was reading his features right, Jaden thought she was angelic-looking. He smirked a bit as he shook his head, before finally the Female Cylon looked up, glancing at Jaden for a second before she saw Ron and paled. "Oh, Gods, not you again." She muttered as she back up as much she could.

"You DO realize I'm not going to torture you?" Ron asked with a raised eyebrow.

The Cylon just leaned forward on her cot. "Well, we've all heard tales about you and what you do." She said, "So excuse me for being sceptical on that."

Jaden however, just kept staring at her. "Oi, Takeo!" Ron shouted, shaking his shoulder "Quit fantasizing about her." Jaden finally snapped out of it as he looked at Ron, with a small blush. "W-Wha-How-" He stuttered out as Ron just chuckled, shaking his head.

"I've seen that look before." He said, before he pulled out a set out photos. They were of the Cylon fleet the _Vulture_ ran into. "I know you know what these ships are." He said as he opened the brig doors. The Marines raised their weapons, but Ron gestured them to lower their Cx4 Storm carbines. (**RON AN: This replaced the P-90 as the Marines' main weapon in Season Two onwards**) "What is this ship?"

He handed her the photo of the large ship shaped, more or less, like a church. A memory triggered in her mind. "It's a Resurrection Ship." She answered, causing Ron and Jaden to raise their eyebrows "Resurrection?" Ron asked.

D'Anna racked her brain, pulling the information from her mind. "When a Cylon dies, their mind is downloaded into a new body." She confirmed, "As long as there is a Resurrection Ship within their download range."

Ron realized what she was talking about. "Bodies on this ship." He muttered, "That's why the Cylons ran. If they can't resurrect, why bother fighting?" He turned to Jaden. "I'm turning her over to yours and the Scrap Vulture's custody." He announced, causing Jaden to do a double take. "Everyone in the Colonial Fleet wants to kill her, but your people don't. And I need her alive."

He then smirked. "And you're attracted to her, so what the hell: she's all yours." He said, as Jaden blushed once more, but said nothing as Ron turned to the Marines. "Please escort Ms. Biers and Lt. Commander Takeo to their ship." He said, before he gave the marines a very sharp glare "And if she even gets so much as a bruise, your hides _will_ hang from my office door. Am I perfectly clear?"

Both Marines paled and nodded like bobbleheads. "Good." Ron said as he walked out of the cell, intending to inform Commander Urei of what he just found out. As D'Anna stepped out of the Cell, Jaden gulped a bit as he just waved at her "Uh...hi..." He said just above a whisper. "I'm, uhh... I'm Jaden Takeo, of the, uh, Scrap Vultures. You must be... D'Anna?"

She blushed and chuckled at his shyness. "Lieutenant D'Anna Artemis Biers," She said, "Formally assigned to the Battlestar Atlantia. Its nice to meet you... Lieutenant Commander Takeo."

"Eh... y-you can just call me Jaden," Jaden said, doing his best to keep his blush down. D'Anna smiled a bit as she nodded. "Sure," she said. "Just as long as you call me D'Anna and not Toaster."

Jaden nodded, as he smiled a bit himself "S-Sure thing, D'Anna." He said, before the two left the brig, with the two Colonial Marines following behind at a safe distance.

* * *

**117Jorn: And there you have it! Chapter 3 of Law for the Wolves! And today, our Review count for Chapter Two is... Seven! You know what **_**That **_**means!**

**Ron the True Fan: (Still wearing CMC armor) Oh, but I do! (Whistles and a bunch of Zerglings swarm over the Cavils) It worked for Mengsk, so it works for me!**

**117Jorn: *Watches Cavils get torn apart by Zerglings with a sick grin* Oh, I **_**love **_**the way you think Ron... But next time, we're doing it **_**my **_**way... *Begins laughing evilly***

**Ron the True Fan: ...I'm not sure whether or not I should be worried about you. But if it kills the Cavils, why the frak should I care?!**

**117Jorn: Agreed, and I got a very... **_**special **_**treatment for Cain and the majority of the **_**Pegasus's**_** crew. Can't wait to use it though...**

**Ron the True Fan: Then we shouldn't waste any time and move us along! Ja Ne, people!**

**117Jorn: P.S, the TMSF-081 Patriot was originally created by my friend Patriot-112, so credit goes to him!**


	4. Chapter 4

**117Jorn: *Walks into room, punching a few keys into a Ipad* And... sent! *Waits a few seconds before grins like maniac* I knew she'd agree.**

**Ron the True Fan: (walks into room carrying a G36K) What's going on?**

**117Jorn: *Puts away Ipad* Just calling in a favor from a... friend. You ready for this chapter?**

**Ron the True Fan: ...I feel insulted. I'm ALWAYS ready!**

**117Jorn: Then let's get this thing STARTED!**

* * *

_**Cyrannus System, Outskirts of Helios Delta/Gamma **_

_**Ragnar, Garden of Thorns, Two Days after the **_**Thor's **_**Recovery**_

* * *

It had been two days since the recovery of the Battlestar _Thor,_ and three days since the Swords of Freedom and the Federation Fleet met with the Colonials. Things have been progressing smoothly thus far. The _Thor _itself was currently being under refit by both the Scrap Vultures and CCE after the bodies had finally been removed. Both groups were shooting ideas at one another on how to turn the _Thor _into a perfect hybrid Battlestar using tech from Earth and the Colonies.

As this happened, the CCE had begun attaching FTL Drives to most of the vessels within the Earth Fleet, using the Drives from the abandoned civilian vessels or ones that the CCE built themselves with the resources they had been gathering for their eventual exodus out of the Cyrannus System, possibly to never return. As well to go on their manhunt for the _Pegasus, _and its Commander, Rear Admiral Helena Cain.

When Ron and Commander Urei told them what Cain had done, it had angered everyone from Earth, and they had offered their own services to help hunt her down, which were gladly received by the Colonials and the CCE.

Speaking of Earth Forces, although there was some original... tensions between the EFSF and SOF forces at first, they quickly put them aside as the gravity of the situation settled on them: Light years away from home, no allies aside from the Colonials, and a race of Robots that want the extinction of all mankind was all it took for them to put their differences aside to work together to find their way home... and to help out their distant Colonial 'cousins' as they call them.

As for Jaden, he had quickly begun learning everything he could about Colonial Technology that Ronald had told him, while Jaden explained to him every last bit he knew about Earth Technology such as Minovsky Physics, the Minovsky Reactor, Beam Weaponry and everything else from Earth. "We can put most of this stuff to work on the _Thor_..." Ron looked at his friend. "We really need to rename that ship."

"Oh? Why's that?" Jaden asked.

"Using a salvaged ship's original name is VERY bad luck, that's why!" Ronald said, causing Jaden to blink, but he then understood. "Well, we're going to need to come up with a name." He said.

"We can leave the name thing until she's been rebuilt." Ron said smiling "Speaking of rebuilds, I saw a badly damaged ship in the Garden's hanger: _Pegasus_-Class, from the look of her."

Jaden smiled a bit as he nodded "Yeah, its a recent find." He said, "Part of the reason why I wanted you to come here today. She's a Flight IV Type _Pegasus-_class, she's based off of the _Grey Phantom_. We found the ship drifting in the Shoal Zone about a month before we ended up here. She was the LMSD-79 _Morningstar,_ she took one hell of a beating from whatever battle she was in, and her crew abandoned ship."

He leaned back in his chair "Me and the Scrap Vultures have been working around the clock to bring her back to full operation capacity since then," he said. "It hasn't been easy, but we've made slow progress. We're hoping she'll become the Vulture's new Flagship."

Ron smiled. "Well, if you guys want, you can move onto the _Athena_." He said, "You are ALWAYS welcome." A light bulb appeared (figuratively speaking) over the Colonel's head. "How would you like a hand or three? I can get you a lot of spare parts from the civilian ships to help fix her up. Hell, we could even make a few modifications to her, make her the _Thor's _'sister', if you catch my meaning." Jaden understood immediately as he grinned. "Colonel..." He picked up a glass of whisky. "I think you and I have a LOT to talk about!"

Both men started laughing as they downed a shot. "So," Ron began once again, "How's D'Anna?" Jaden blushed a bit. "Uh..." was all he said, as Ron shook his head "Relax. I'm no gossip." He said, "Hate it with a flaming passion, really, so any secret you have to share is as safe with me as a gold bar in the center of a star."

Jaden refused to answer, as Ron just chuckled "Ah, shyness." He said, "I was at your stage once. If you don't want to answer, I can wait." Ron then looked at his watch, and his eyes widened. "Oh, frak!" He shouted, as he hopped to his feet "Commander Urei wants me back on _Mercury_ in ten minutes! Since I'm the one calculating our jumps, and _Mercury's_ the flagship-"

"I won't stop you." Jaden said, raising his hands "I'll see you here when you've got free time." Ron left the room, running to the hanger while yelling the word 'frak' at the top of his lungs.

He managed to get into his Raptor and took off. "It takes five minutes to depressurize the hanger." He said hurriedly "I won't make it unless..." He grinned as he calculated an FTL jump, moved to the center of the hanger and jumped outside. He chuckled as he approached Mercury. "I am a genius with too much spare time." He muttered as he got _Mercury _on the wireless. "_Mercury_, Psycho: I am inbound, hands-on landing."

"_Copy, Colonel. You've still got 8 minutes._" Sasha said, and Ron guided the Raptor onto the deck lift, then it lowered into the hanger. Ron didn't wait for the Raptor to be dragged inside and jumped out as soon as the door was open. "FRAK FRAK FRAK FRAK!" He ran up a level and made his way to CIC.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Mercury **_**- CIC**

* * *

Sasha was looking at her watch. "Ma'am, no offense, but what are you doing?" Zane asked.

"Timing the Colonel." Sasha said, and Speaking of the devil will bring him to you, and that's what Sasha learned when the Colonel ran into CIC. "Never mind, then." She said as she looked at Ron.

"Sorry. Got held up." He said with a slight pant.

"Not a problem, Colonel." Sasha assured, "What do we know about Cain's course?"

"Not much." Ronald said, "While Cain is a suicidal retard, she won't risk staying in Cyrannus: the Cylon presence, even with the destruction of that Resurrection Ship, is too heavy for one ship of the _Mercury_-Class." He then grinned a bit "But what we DO know is that Cain will attack targets of opportunity."

"Not much in Cyrannus." Zane said, "The Cylons are turning it into a fortress."

"And we know _Galactica_ survived with a civilian fleet and that there are Cylons hunting them." Sasha said.

"And Cain's hunting the Cylons while we're hunting Cain." Ron finished before Zane chuckled. "Then who's hunting US?" He asked rhetorically before both Ron and Sasha gave him a watered down version of the Adama Glare. "Shutting up, ma'am."

"Tracking Cain is going to be a bitch." Sasha continued, "But justice demands she dies for the crimes she's responsible for." Ron nodded. "I agree." He said, "We need to leave Cyrannus behind and find her. Hopefully, we'll find _Galactica_ as well. We need Adama's leadership, and I wouldn't mind having a President again."

Sasha chuckled lightly. "How are our Terran friends doing?" She asked, "You spend a lot of your time with them: you know them best."

"Morale's pretty high." Ron assured, "Not as high as it could be if the Colonies were still around, but high. We've been working on refitting the Battlestar we recovered." Zane blinked. "Don't you mean the _Thor_?" He asked, and Sasha just shook her head.

"Colonel, you have a lot to learn when it comes to salvagers." She said, "Colonel Pinkerton is avoiding calling it by that name because it brings bad luck. Any ideas on a name?"

"Me and Lt. Commander Takeo are leaving that until she's ready to launch." Ron said with a small smirk "He has another ship that needs repairs. I was thinking that we could do to it what we're doing to the Battlestar: refit it and make it a hybrid."

Sasha nodded. "You have a go." She said, "Anything from that Cylon Baseship fragment?"

Ron shuddered at that. "I found a total of 5 organic models on that thing, as well as the hulks of 5000 Centurions." He said, "That's a lot of Cylons, Commander, and it gets worse. The Baseships themselves are organic."

Sasha's wides widened to the size of dinner plates. "WHAT?" She shouted.

"The piece we have is trying to grow." Ron said, shaking his head "In a few months, we could have our own Cylon Baseship!"

Zane blanched. "Get rid of the damned thing!" He demanded.

"Ma'am, I still need it." Ron retorted, "Maybe I could find a way to use what the Baseship is made of to strengthen our ships. Those colonies, especially the Garden of Thorns, need heavy repairs, and that's not something I can do with what we've got! If I can use what the Baseship's made of, we can repair the colonies and never worry about them again."

Zane looked sickened. "Colonel, that's insane! We can't-" He began, but Sasha cut him off.

"Do it." She said, "And Colonel? You're out of uniform." Ron blinked. "Ma'am?" He asked, before she pulled out a black box and opened it. Inside were Colonel's rank pins. "Oh. Well, I guess one good thing came out of the destruction of the Colonies. I got a two rank promotion without dying." He took the pins, saluted and walked over to the FTL console. Zane leaned over the plotting table. "Ma'am, what he's suggesting...using Cylon technology?"

"He's making due with what we've got." Sasha said, shaking her head "I don't see a problem, Zane."

"The man is insane!" Zane hissed, "What if the colonies start giving away our position?!"

Ron walked back over. "FTL coordinates have been calculated and all ships and colonies are ready to jump, Commander." He announced, and then he looked at Zane. "And it's non-conductive. It can't emit wireless signals even if it wanted to." He made an about-face and left CIC.

"There you have it," Sasha said with a grim smile, before she stood straight "Prepare to Jump on my mark! 5...4...3...2...1... Mark!"

Outside the _Mercury,_ the ships and colonies of the Colonial/SOF/CCE/EFSF Fleet had been assembled in near-perfect formation with each other, and any vessels that had yet to be updated with FTL had docked with the Colonies for the Jump. One by one, the ships all blinked into lights as they Jumped away. The last vessels to flicker away from Ragnar, and in turn the Cyrannus System in general, were the Garden of Thorns, and the _Athena._

* * *

**Prolmar Sector, recon mission from Battlestar Mercury - 4 days, 6 hours later**

* * *

Ron's Mk II flew through a small debris field. "Actual, Psycho: I'm seeing debris from a large Colonial transport with radiological readings." He said as his Viper flew next the debris.

"_You think Adama put a nuke on it?_" Sasha asked. But Ron shook his head "No, ma'am." He said, "It's not a nuke from Ragnar. From the readings, it's a Cylon nuke."

"_Then the Cylons ARE hunting _Galactica." Sasha said, and Ron smirked as he nodded. "And Cain's hunting them." He said, "We're also seeing wreckage from a pair of Viper Mk IIs: permission to recover them?"

"_Granted. I know you're going to want to rebuild them._" Sasha said, and Ron chuckled "You know me so well, even if we've only known each other for a brief time, Commander." He said, "Launch three Raptors. I'm on my way to the Garden of Thorns: another meeting with our Cylon friend."

"_Oh? What's the reason for this visit?_"

"More intel on the Cylon organic models." Ron confirmed, "She told me her model number is Three, and there's at least six."

"_Six?_"

"None of her model were on that Baseship piece." He said, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"_Copy, Colonel._" He said as Ron turned his Mk II toward the Garden of Thorns, then jumped into the hanger. Everyone inside jumped in surprise as the Port Controlman cursed "_Damn it, Colonel, stop doing that!_" He shouted, "_Every time you jump in, you scare the shit out of my people!_"

Ron sighed. "Port Control, this is Colonel Pinkerton." He said, "If I can do this, that means a Cylon Raider could do this. At least I'm not packing nukes. I assume my landing zone is still open?"

"_Yes, Colonel, it is._" The Port Controlman said with a tired sigh, "_Can you at least WARN us before you jump in, though?!_"

"Listen to the wireless: that's warning enough." Ron said smirking as he sat the Viper onto the deck and got out. "Ok, Jaden, here I come."

Ron walked toward the hatch, then made his way to where the the _Hell Hawk_ was docked, and Jaden's quarters. It didn't take long as he found himself just outside his quarters. "Jaden?" He asked as he knocked on the door and blinked as he heard two people moving around, cursing and looking for clothes. Ron smirked a bit, he knew it well, as he had walked in on loving couples FAR too many times. '_As long as it's not Ellen Tigh, I don't care who you sleep with._' Ron thought, '_At least give me some fraking warning!_'

The hatch opened, and Ron saw Jaden in very wrinkled clothes. "Uhh... H-Hi, Ron." He said.

"Jaden." Ron said nodding, "Sorry for...interrupting. But it's 1600 hours?" Jaden nodded. "Right, your meeting with D'Anna." He said, as Ron raised an eyebrow.

"I can come back later if this is-" He began but Jaden shook his head "No, this is fine!" He said, "Please, come in."

Ron walked in and saw D'Anna finishing getting dressed. "Sorry about this." Ron said, "But we both agreed on 1600 hours, and it's 1601, so...Let's get started on jogging that Cylon brain of yours."

D'Anna, still flushed, nodded. Ron gave her a photo of a dark-skinned man. "Which model is he?"

"Four. We also call him Simon." D'Anna answered, "They're all doctors, scientists-"

"I know the type." Ron said as he produced another one, this being an Asian-looking woman. She looked at her and immediately answered "An Eight." She said.

Ron's eyes widened "EIGHT? Are you sure?" He asked, as D'Anna nodded. "Positive. Eight. Or Sharon." She said.

Ron's internal 'oh, FRAK' meter started going off, that meant there were eight Humanoid Cylon models!. However putting this aside, he showed the next picture. "And this one?" He asked, this picture being an old man, older then any of the other models.

"One. Or Cavil." She answered again.

"Ok. This?" He showed the next picture of a dark haired man in a suit. "Five. Doral."

"Ok. This one?" The picture of a blond man. "Two. Leoben." D'Anna said, before she leaned forward a bit "Watch out for this one: he's drive you insane with half-baked metaphysics."

"Too late." Ron said with a small smirk, "Last one?" The last picture was a taller, blonde woman.

"Six." She said, nodding. "That's Number Six. That's it... all the ones I know."

"Wait, what about Number 7?" Jaden asked curiously, "You've got One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six Models, but then it jumps straight to eight? What are the Seven Models?"

D'Anna seemed to think about it for a minute, before she shrugged and shook her head "I...I'm sorry," she said, "But... I don't have anything on a Number 7... no face, no name, no nothing."

Ron came up with answer. "Programing block." He said, "Either the Sevens are a defunct model or they're heavy duty sleeper agents."

"Maybe." D'Anna said with a shrug "Sorry I can't be much help with that."

Ron smiled a bit as he got up "Its alright," he said, nodded "What you have told us will help us a lot in the long-run either way. Sorry, but I'll be going." With that said, Ron left as quickly as he could.

Both D'Anna and Jaden waited a moment or two, before they began giggling, and then started full-on laughing. "He thought-" D'Anna said, and Jaden nodded. "He did." He said.

"What an idiot!" D'Anna shouted, "He thought we actually _did _it!" Both fell on the floor laughing.

Outside, Ron felt like he had been made a fool of. Then he remembered the smell of the room. It was no different then the last time he was in there. "They played a prank on me." He suddenly realized, before Ron shrugged. "I deserved it for teasing him and D'Anna." He moved on, heading back to the hanger and back to _Mercury_ to give Commander Urei the bad news. And it was VERY bad news at that.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Athena **_**(CCE) - 1500 hours, same day**

* * *

"Is there a reason WE are going on this scouting mission?" Misato asked on the Comm of the _Athena's_ CIC "Any _Orion_ would do. Heck we could ask one of the Earth ships to do it if they wanted too."

"_We're looking for Cain, Major,_" Sasha said, "_And if we find Cain we need a heavily armed ship to stop her from escaping. _Orion's _simply don't cut it in that area._"

Misato shook her head, nearly dropping the phone. "Commander, why the _Athena?_" She asked.

"_Colonel Pinkerton recommended her._" Sasha answered, and Misato sighed. Not only was the Colonel her commanding officer , he was her idol and the one who brought her into the CCE after she was brought to Hades Station. "Alright. We'll scout ahead, Commander." She relented.

"_Good. FTL coordinates are being sent now._" She hung up the phone, and she sighed again "There are days I hate this job." She muttered as she looked at her XO, Lieutenant Sandra Cortez. "Any luck hacking into the locks on the Colonel's private stash?"

"Breaking into it would be like trying to kill a Cylon with a peashooter." The XO said plainly.

"I'll take that as a no, then." Misato grumbled.

"FTL drives spooled up." The FTL Operator said, "We're ready for jump."

"Then jump the ship, Ensign." The FTL operator pressed the jump key, jumping the _Athena_ into the middle of a small ice field. "WHAT THE FRAK IS THAT?!" Misato shouted as the Ice hit their ship's hull, not damaging it but the banging sound could be heard all the way to CIC. The DRADIS operator blinked as she looked at the contacts. "It's water." She said, "Frozen water."

"In the middle of nowhere?" Misato asked in confusion, before the DRADIS Operator raised a hand "Hold it, it's giving off DRADIS readings." She said, "There's metal in the water: Battlestar-grade."

Misato raised an eyebrow. "Cain's got a Cylon that busted open the water tanks?" She asked. Cortez shrugged "It could've been _Galactica_." She pointed out.

"Right now, I'm assuming _Pegasus_." Misato said, turning to their Comm Operator "Send a Raptor back to the fleet. Tell them what we've found and continue search pattern."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

_**Meanwhile, Garden of Thorns**_

_**LMSD-79 **_**Morningstar **_**Hangar**_

* * *

Jaden was on the bridge of the _Morningstar,_ currently going through the list of new upgrades that were scheduled for the _Pegasus-_class. The ship itself would, of course, have standard modernized Earth Tech from improved Mega Particle cannons and the what-not. However some key changes they were making was increasing its complement of Mobile Suits, from just nine, all the way to twelve like an _Argama-_class.

However, with the addition of Colonial Tech, they have begun planning on a few extra additions. The first upgrade that was discussed was the Artificial Gravity systems that they seemed to be able to use. There was a few Vultures who preferred not to add this technology, wanting to stick with moving around in Zero G. However they developed a compromise, that the Artificial Gravity will operate in essential parts of the ship, such as the bridge, Crew Quarters, Mess Hall, and other areas where gravity would be needed most. However other areas, such as the Hangars will not have Gravity.

Other Updates on the _Morningstar _included superior Life Support, FTL, DRADIS, and Propulsion systems. However as a request from the CCE who were working on restoring the Assault Carrier, they wished to add launch tubes for Vipers, as well as wishing to give the _Morningstar _its own small complement of Vipers and Raptors to operate with the ships Mobile Suits, acting as a more quick-response unit since it takes time to launch Mobile Suits because of the _Morningstar _only having two launch catapults. They were already working on how to add the Launch Tubes, but worst case the Vipers and Raptors would just have to launch from the _Morningstar _just like Mobile Suits do.

Jaden sighed as he sat down in the Captain's chair of the ship, the Vultures and CCE were going to have their work cut out for them in updating the _Morningstar._ But, he hoped they would have the ship ready for deployment within a few months if their lucky.

"I don't quite get why people on Earth design your ships like this," D'Anna's voice was heard, as Jaden looked behind him as the Cylon woman arrived on the bridge. "I mean... why have your Bridge CIC so exposed? And all that's protecting you is a glass window. One well-placed shot..."

Jaden chuckled a bit "Well, back during the One Year War, Minovsky Particles caused hell for Sensors and Long-Range weapon guidance. Most of the time people would need to eyeball their targets." He said, "It's why Mobile Suits were so successful, because it forced enemy forces to engage in Close Combat, where most Mobile Suits excel in. So since we couldn't trust our Sensors, we had to trust our eyes. Besides..." he flipped a switch, and a metal blast shield covered the bridge "...worst comes, we raise the Blast Shields over the bridge, and rely on external cameras and Sensors. Those shields were designed to survive atmospheric reentry and high explosives."

D'Anna smiled a bit, "People of Earth sure are... different." She said, "Most military ships in the colonies have their Bridge CIC's deep under steel plating and protected... but you have reason to actually have your Bridges like this."

Jaden smiled "Yeah, well the Earth Federation and Zeon had to improvise as times changed." he said, "The Reasons _for _War never change, but the way we fight war changes after each battle fought. That's what Zar taught me."

D'Anna nodded at that, as the two were silent for a little while "So... Jaden..." D'Anna said, "What's Earth like?"

Jaden thought about it for a second before he answered "A lot different than the colonies... yet similar at the same time." he said, "Life in the colonies is pretty simple... just like being on earth in a few ways. I've only been on earth itself a few times, but..." he smiled a bit "There are just a few things on Earth that Colonies just can't do. Like the weather on earth, the different environments, and the oceans of course. I've not once seen a colony actually successfully mimic an ocean yet."

"It sounds nice..." D'Anna said, "I lived in Caprica most of my life... well...not including the... whole... Cylon thing..." She chuckled a bit dryly at that "Anyways, I never got a chance to see anything outside Caprica City... the moment I had the chance I joined the Colonial Forces, thought that it would be something of an adventure..." she shook her head "Man, was _I _wrong with that..." She muttered, "But now... Earth being real... I don't know what I'm going to do when I get there."

Jaden smiled a bit, before he blushed a few shades of red "W-Well..." he said, "If you want... maybe... I could show you? Ya know, like... a tour through Earth? See the sights it has? Ya know, once we get there and all..."

D'Anna looked at Jaden in surprise, with her own small blush but as she smirked a bit "...I... I would like that," She said, "Sounds like a perfect date to me!"

Jaden blushed more as he averted his gaze from D'Anna to hide it, "Not... what I was thinking but...uhh... sure..." he muttered.

The doors opened, and in came Ron, carrying a large bag. "Oi, kids." He said as he dropped the bag to the ground and opened it, revealing a large container full of what looked like freeze-dried field rations. "Sorry I'm late. Commander Urei wanted me to calculate both the next sets of FTL jumps and the emergency coordinates. Why the hell was I made primary jump calculator for the fleet?"

"You can make calculations by yourself on the fly and in seconds while everyone else needs a computer and at least ten minutes?" D'Anna pointed out with a shrug.

"Thanks, D'Anna, but the question was rhetorical." Ron said rolling his eyes "I was just bitching about it."

"What's with the ration packs?" Jaden asked, and Ron smirked. "CCE tradition." He said, "When we meet to talk about upgrading ships and designing new ones, one of us brings lunch. Since I'm the only CCE officer proper around here with knowledge of that, I decided to bring brain food." He carried the container over and set it down. "Enjoy the bounty." He picked out a piece of jerky and tore open the package before biting into it. "I hear you guys are having issues with Viper catapults."

"We are, kind of." Jaden said, as he picked out rations "Ship's only got two catapults."

"Too bad it's not like the _Albion_." Ron commented, "Alright, I've got a few catapults from _Marathon's_ port flight pod that we can install onboard."

"Won't she need them?" Jaden asked in confusion before Ron looked at him. "The _Marathon_ was destroyed in the opening hours of the attacks." Ron said, "We stripped her down."

"Oh, shit... I'm sorry, Ron-"

"You didn't know, kid." Ron said, "I can't blame you for lack of knowledge. You got the ship's blueprints handy? I kind of need to see where we're putting them."

Jaden walked over to a console and brought up the ship's internal structure on a screen. "Ok. Side or forward?" Ron asked, causing Jaden to look at him oddly "What?" He asked.

"Side-facing or forward-facing?" Ron repeated, "You know, for that catapults?" Jaden 'ah'ed and nodded, understanding now. "Side mounted is probably the best." He said, and Ron looked at the holes displayed.

"Well, the holes in the sides need to be patched," He pointed out, "But we can put the launch tubes in those. Going to have to add magnetic accelerators to save fuel and such, but-" Ron leaned to his side, listening to someone speaking on his earpiece. His eyes narrowed a bit "Well, shit." He mutterd, and Jaden looked at Ron curiously. "What's going on?" He asked.

"We might have our first sign of Cain: _Athena_ ran into water in deep space: they're saying it came from a Battlestar's main water tanks."

Jaden nodded, a small frown on his own face. "Ron, I want to be there when you go after Cain." He said, "What she did...it's as bad as what the Titans and Zeon did." Ron looked at Jaden. "Kid, I was going to ask you anyways." He said with a smirk "Bitch deserves no mercy for what she did. If she protected those civilians...Well, she's a bitch. And we're going to put her down."

He then sighed. "But tracking an FTL capable ship is a bitch without someone leaving bread crumbs behind." He admitted, "But we will find her. That I promise you." He patted Jaden on the shoulder and walked off.

* * *

**20 days after the Fall of the Colonies: recon mission near gas giant**

* * *

A Mk II and a Mk VII flew near the moon of a gas giant, where they were looking for signs that they were on Cain's trail. "_Mercury,_ Terminator: I've spotted a derelict Mk II Viper out here, as well as wreckage from at least five Raiders."

"_Who was the pilot?_" Sasha asked on the Comm.

"Commander, the pilot ejected." Terminator said, "There's no seat."

"_Terminator, Psycho: the name, please._" Ron's voice said. He looked at the nameplate on the Viper. "Ensign Brendan Costanza, callsign Hot Dog." He read out loud. Ron's voice sounded amused. "_I taught him at the Academy._" He said, "_He dropped out. Commander, this has all of Cain's hallmarks._"

"Stupid question, but where would Cain get a Mk II? Galactica?" Terminator asked.

"_CCE has storage depots throughout Cyrannus that still stock Mk IIs and IIIs, as well as more modern Mk VIIs._" Ron answered, "_I sent a few Raptors to all of them, and they were raided: stripped bare. Access codes confirm that the ship that did it was _Pegasus_._"

Sasha chuckled on the open line. "_Cain must be desperate to use Mk IIs in combat nowadays._" She said.

"_Commander, need I remind you that I'm flying a Mk II?_" Ron said, and one could tell he was rolling his eyes "_In the right hands, any fighter is a deadly weapon. Give me a co-pilot and I can fly an old Raider._"

"_You've made your point, Ron._" Sasha said, "_Should we send a Raptor to recover the Viper?_"

"_Damn right, we should._" Ron said quickly, as he turned back towards the fleet. "_By the way, how's the fuel situation?_" A few days ago, the main tylium plant on the _Yashima_, the tylium refinery subtype of the _Zeus_-Class, bled out into space due to sabotage by a Cylon agent that avoided discovery. Since every ship in the fleet refueled from her, they needed to find an asteroid for the _Ishimura_, the mining _Zeus_, to strip down, otherwise they would be dead in space.

Ron was trying to find an alternate fuel source, based on Earth Minovsky technology with Jaden, but so far, they were having problems just getting off the ground. And if the Cylons found them when they were out of gas, they were screwed.

"_How many days of fuel do we have left?_" Sasha asked, as Ron thought quickly. "I'd say...thirty, if we avoid all combat." He answered, "15 if we run into trouble every few days."

Sasha sighed "_Shit._" She said, "_Get back to the Garden of Thorns: try to get that alternate propulsion system of yours working!_"

"On my way, Commander." Ron said as he calculated a jump and jumped inside the Garden's Port hanger, once again scaring the crap out of the Portman "_I...Never mind._" He muttered, "_Forget it: you're never going to warn us._" Ron chuckled as he landed the Mk II on the pad and got out, making his way to the hulk that was the _Morningstar_. "Fraking hell." He muttered, "Today is NOT my day."

"Colonel Pinkerton?" He heard Amy's voice and he turned to face Amy, who was walking toward the ship.

"Amy, what's going on?" Ron asked.

"We've been hearing rumors that the Colonial ships are running out of fuel." She asked, a bit worried "Are they...?"

"That would be true." Ron said with a sigh "We're on minimal consumption mode: trying to save tylium. Jaden and I are trying to harness the Minovsky particle and use it to propel the ships, instead."

"Minovsky Craft-based propulsion?" Amy asked with a smile "That's awesome! If anyone can do it, it's you and Jaden."

Ronald smiled a bit "Thanks for the encouragement Amy," He said, "But I gotta go meet up with your brother, see you around." Amy nodded as she walked away, while Ron headed towards the _Morningstar._

* * *

_**Later, on the **_**Morningstar**

'_**Work Shop'**_

* * *

The Work Shop was a specially made room within the _Morningstar,_ created by Jaden himself. It was his own little 'work shop' where he could work on all of his schematics and prototypes. It was here that the designs of everything he developed originated from. Currently, Jaden was sitting before a bench, where he had the current theories and schematics for alternate propulsion and energy sources for the Colonial Fleets.

"I suppose we _could _use Laser Propulsion to at least reduce the consumption of Tylium ..." He muttered to himself, "Then again there's Thermonuclear Pulse Thrusters... it wouldn't work on our ships, but the larger Battlestar's like the _Jupiter _and _Mercury-_classes, and maybe even the _Valkyrie-_class could be large enough to use them. Or maybe even find a way to make AMBAC work on something the scale of a Battlestar..." He sighed as he yawned a bit "Damn... there's gotta be a way to do this..."

Ron sighed as he continued trying to find a way to adapt the Minovsky Craft system for a spaceborne propulsion system. "Well, It's a good thing we're not on a timetable." He said, "We have enough fuel for another month, and we've got the entire CCE, plus the smartest men in the fleet, working on this."

Jaden chuckled a bit. "And who, dare I ask, are the smartest men in the fleet?" He asked, and Ron smirked. "You and me." He said, "I have four decades of experience with Colonial technology. You are almost, if not equally or even more, brilliant as me and have more experience with Minovsky physics and other Earth technologies."

Jaden smiled. "That's a big pick-me-up, Ron." He said, and Ron chuckled a bit "I do my best." He said "Now, let's look at trying to make that damned AG engines of mine work on a smaller scale. As is, the only things that they will fit on at the colonies and the Zeus-Class BSDs." The older man shook his head. "We're limited by this lab." He muttered, "We can't make a working prototype without the space."

Jaden suddenly blinked, as he remembered something as he looked at Ron and pulled out his holoband. Ron blinked before he slapped himself in the forehead "Frak, I forgot we had those!" He cursed, "We could've solved this fraking problem days ago!" Both men put on the bands and entered V-World. Once they were in Ron's V-World Lab, they walked outside. "Ok, we have work to do."

* * *

**46 Days after the Fall of the Colonies - Raptor 415 scouting asteroid field for tylium - crew: Swallow and Thunderkid**

* * *

Swallow kicked Thunderkid's seat. "Happy Colonial Day!" She shouted, as Thunderkid shook his head, waking up from his impromptu nap. "Frak, it's Colonial Day?" He asked, as Swallow nodded.

"That's right." She said with a sigh "And instead of getting wasted and laid on Mercury, we're looking for gas."

Thunderkid shook his head. Even though Ron and Jaden had come up with a combination gravitic/Minovsky drive, they had one problem: not one of the Colonial ships had a Minovsky-Ionesco Reactor. They were regretting not staying near that gas giant a month back where they could easily harvest some Helium-3 to make some now. Even though the SOF forces were charting space as they traveled, it would take too much fuel to make the trip back there.

Swallow "Start the scans." She said, "Let's hope-"

"WHOO!" Thunderkid shouted, as She looked back at her ECO. "I just found tylium! It's on a big-ass asteroid, bearing 365 carom 220!" Swallow turned the Raptor toward the asteroid, and discovered a problem: there was a Cylon base on it. "FRAK ME." Swallow began to shout, but she looked closely before panicking. "Wait, wait... hold it. The base looks like someone blew it up!"

She looked back at him. "Plot a jump back to _Mercury_: the Commander's going to want to hear about this!"

"Amen to that!" Thunderkid said, "I need a hot shower!"

"Don't we all know that." Swallow muttered as the Raptor jumped back to the fleet, bearing the good news.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Mercury **_**- Commander's quarters**

* * *

Ron and Jaden looked at the small planetoid that Swallow took photos of. "Ma'am, I say this is Cain's handiwork: blew up the refinery." Ron said, "Thank the Gods the tylium's fine, or we would be screwed."

Sasha nodded. "It's definitely Cain's style: run in, blow up as much shit as you can and get the hell out of there." She said.

"And Cain has done our work for us." Ron said, "With the base destroyed, the _Ishimura_ can strip the damn thing down." He looked at Sasha with a straight face. "Maybe we should thank her before shoving her out the airlock."

"Colonel, you and I both know that what Cain is going to face is death by firing squad." Sasha said firmly.

"Why not shoot her while _in _an Airlock, and while she's bleeding out you space her?" Jaden suggested, causing the others to look at him in surprise "What? I hate Cain, and I want her to suffer."

Ron, on the other hand, prepared to fistbump. "I like it." He said, and Jaden grinned as he returned the bump. Sasha could only sigh and shake her head.

Zane chuckled. "Well, they gave us a present for Colonial Day." He said, glancing at Jaden "Hopefully we can mine enough to make a trip back to that Gas Giant-"

"Icarus," Jaden said suddenly, causing the others to look at him oddly. He shrugged "No one was coming up with any names for the planets we found, so Amy picked out one herself for the record. She's helping out the others in charting space after all."

"...alright, as I was saying, hopefully we can gain enough Tylium to plot enough jumps to _Icarus,_" Zane continued, "So you can start getting some Helium-3 to make those Minovsky Reactors."

Jaden nodded "As long as we have the materials and Helium-3, we'll get all of your ships fitted with Minovsky Reactors." He said, "It'll take some time to refit over 200 vessels of course, but it _will _be worth it, as you guys won't be as dependent on Tylium than before."

"BIT of a problem:" Ron pointed out, "Our Vipers are too small to carry the engines, same with any ship smaller then one of your _Salamis_-Class cruisers. We should strip the moon and any asteroids with tylium, then use the fuel for the Vipers and support craft when all the ships are refit. It'll take a while , anyways, so we should fill the _Yashima_ to the brim."

"That we can do." Sasha said, "How are we going to defend the operation?"

"We don't." Ron said grinning, "The _Ishimura's_ a subtype of the _Zeus_. And what does the _Zeus_ have?"

"Big ass 1500 centimeter guns...Right. Forgot about that." Sasha said.

"Still, we should task about three ships to cover the operation." Ron said, "Hydra-Class cruisers are perfect for the job."

"How long will it take to strip the moon?" Zane asked, and Ron shrugged. "A month, maybe." He said. Sasha was not happy with that answer. "Colonel, Cain is barely in our grip." She said, "If we stay here a month, she'll get away!"

"Ma'am-"

"But... I see that we can't speed it up, so I can live with that for now." She said, sighing "Begin mining operations, Colonel. And good work on the new engine. Had any ideas on what to call it? Gravitic/Minovsky drive isn't exactly catchy."

Ron looked at Jaden. "You're the one that came up with the breakthrough." He said, "You get to name it."

"But if it weren't for your gravitic engines, we wouldn't have the drive in the first place-" Jaden retorted, but was cut off. "Gentlemen!" Both looked at the acting Supreme Commander of the Colonial Fleet. (in lieu, of course, of Admiral Adama) "Both of you stop being modest and come up with a name. That's an order."

Both men, cowed properly, saluted and left. "We both came up with it." Jaden said, "How the hell are we..." The door closed as the pair began debating on a name.

Zane sighed as he looked at the photos again. "Letting those two meet was a BAD idea, Commander." He said, "They are equally insane."

"And equally brilliant." Sasha retorted with a grin "The perfect engineering team, and if either of them are put in a Viper or Mobile Suit, the perfect fighting team."

"Still, we have to put up with their madness." Zane muttered, as the Commander simply shrugged.

"That's the price to pay for new technology that will save our asses from the Cylons." She said.

* * *

**57 days after the Fall of the Colonies: orbit of gas giant 'Icarus' - Day five of Helium-3 mining operations**

* * *

The operation was going smoother than a baby's ass just after it was born. After only five days, they had 15000 metric tons of helium-3: too much for their tanks to handle, so large FTL shuttles (atmospheric shuttles fit with FTL drives) were jumping in and out carrying the stuff back to the fleet. In fact, they had to stop mining operations just to empty the tanks.

The fleet which was in orbit of Icarus, was a mixture of vessels. The vessels being used to mine and collect the SOF's two largest vessels in their fleet: Two _Jupitris-_class Mining/transport vessels, the _Appalachia,_ and the _Tsiolkovsky._ They were originally planned to be converted by SOF into massive Super-Carriers, but SOF cancelled the refits so it could be used for their original purposes.

As for escorts, the _Titan-_class Strike Battlestar _Titan_ was leading the Colonial Forces of the defenses. And with it was the _Spitfire-_class Cruiser _Pythia._ For extra defense though, the EFSF had loaned in the _Ra Cailum-_class Battleship _Musashi,_ and an _Irish-_class Battleship _Oasis_, while the SOF sent one _Sadalahn-_class Battleship, two _Magellan Kai-_class Battleships, and two _Salamis Kai-_class Cruisers.

Cruising through space, away from where the fleet was conducting the mining operations, a flight of five Viper Mark VII's flew in a standard V formation. "_There hasn't been any Cylon Attacks for a while._" One of the Viper Pilots said. "_You think maybe they're scared._"

"Chopper, shut up and get back in formation." The Flight lead said. The Flight was the 108th "Wardog" Tactical Fighter Squadron, a squadron assigned to the _Titan._ For the day, they had been given CAP duties protecting the operation.

"_Blaze, Chopper: when are we heading back to the fleet?_" One of Blaze's wingmen, Alvin H. 'Chopper' Davenport asked.

"When we're damn good and ready, Chopper!" Blaze said, rolling his eyes "Now cut the chatter!"

"Appalachia _to all ships: tanks are empty. Resuming mining operations._" The Captain of the _Appalachia _said as it moved back into orbit with Icarus, while the _Tsiolkovsky,_ its own tanks filled up, moved out of orbit to await the arrival of the next FTL shuttles to transfer the gas back to the fleet. They needed at least 300000 metric tons of H3 to refit the entire fleet, which included _Galactica_, _Pegasus _(after, of course, the latter was captured) and _Galactica's _civilian fleet. And that was the BARE minimum. To have more powerful reactors, they needed five times that much. And they were going for broke.

"_Blaze, Swordfish: Captain, what's your opinion on those Mobile Suits the Terrans have?_" Another of Wardog's squad members said, as they saw a team of MS-06F2 Zaku II F2 Types on Patrol Duty soar by. "_You think we'll get the chance to pilot those?_"

Blaze shrugged "Who knows?" He said, "I heard they got some Transformable Mobile Suits that turn into Fighters... I heard the Lieutenant Colonel is being trained on how to use one of them."

"_Gods help us if he masters that thing,_" The only female of the squad said with a light giggle, "_He and Lieutenant Commander Takeo have been coming up with some crazy designs the last few weeks I've heard. Their working on a new M.S series for us Colonials exclusively._"

Blaze was about to retort to that, before suddenly his DRADIS went off "Contact!" He shouted, before he cursed "Frak! Cylon Baseship just jumped in! They're launching Raiders!"

"_All ships, _Titan_ Actual: we're launching Vipers._" The Commander of the _Titan _said. "Appalachia_,_ Tsiolkovsky,_ continue mining operations while we send a Raptor for reinforcements._"

"Frak, we're screwed!" Chopper shouted.

"SHUT UP, CHOPPER!" The rest of the Squadron shouted. While they were outnumbered, fighter-wise at least, they had several advantages on their side: A. Mobile Suits from the Terran ships, B. The Terran Ships Themselves have very good range for their Beam Cannons and Mega Particle Cannons when M-Particles were not interfering with their Sensors. And of course C. They had a Spitfire-Class light cruiser, which was designed to kill fighters en mass.

"Wardog, we're forming up with our fleet!" Blaze said, as their Vipers turned around and headed back to the fleet. "Stay close, and let's all get out of this!"

* * *

**Garden of Thorns - Morningstar Workshop**

* * *

"Making the design is good. Making a working prototype, better." Ronald said, as he looked at Jaden. "Thinking of a name? A royal BITCH."

Jaden groaned, but nodded "Especially since we BOTH came up with the design." Jaden said, as he drank out of his mug of coffee "It has to be a name that says this was a Colonial and Earth achievement, but says what it does at the same time."

For a few good minutes, the two just sat there in the _Morningstar's_ Workshop, thinking of a genuine name to call it.

"Hmm..." Jaden thought, before he raised a finger "How about... the Capri-Terra Propulsion Drive? or CTP Drive for short?" Ron raised his tea mug (the man HATED coffee) for a toast. "Good enough for me." He said and they lightly touched their mugs and downed what was left in them.

Suddenly, klaxons started going off, causing both of them to jump to their feet "_Action Stations, Action Stations!_" The voice sounded "_All hands proceed to Battle Stations!_"

Jaden moved to the Intercom and pressed a button, gaining a wireless communication with the _Argama_ "Captain Hohenheim, what's happening?" He asked.

"_We just got word from the _Mercury." Trisha said, "_A Cylon Baseship just jumped into Icarus, the fleet is requesting reinforcements, and we are mobilizing to assist! Hurry up and get on the _Hell Hawk _so we can get going!_"

"Roger that!" Jaden said, as he turned to Ron, "It'll take too much time for you to head to _Mercury,_ come with me to the _Hell Hawk._" He said, with a small grin. "I think its time for your first real Battle in the Delta Gundam, and not a Viper."

Ron smirked "I won't argue with that," He said, "And this is a perfect opportunity to get intel we need."

Jaden rose an eyebrow "What intel?" He asked, "What are you-"

"I'm going to capture that Baseship." Ron stated, as they left the Workshop to head for a Shuttle to take them to the _Hell Hawk._ "That other Baseship fragment we got is almost done, but we need a original Cylon Basestar, so we can get every bit of info we can find on that thing. We need to find out more about that Number 7 Humanoid Cylon, and see if there are other Cylon Models that D'Anna doesn't know about."

Jaden nodded "Sounds like a plan," He said, "Should I ask D'Anna to come with us?" D'Anna had since then become an Honorary member of the Scrap Vultures, and was assigned to the _Hell Hawk_ until the _Morningstar _was finished. "She's your responsibility." Ron said, "Keep her out of a Mobile Suit cockpit, or keep her in yours. As long as you are sure she won't do anything."

"She's done nothing but help us Ron," Jaden said, "She's been kept under watch for months now, and she's never shown any signs of doing any harm to us."

"You think I WANT to keep her under watch 24/7?" Ron asked, "Jaden, this isn't about her loyalty. There could be a hidden program inside her head that NONE of us know about. I'm trying to keep everyone, even her, safe."

Jaden sighed "Fine, if she decides to come with us on that thing, she'll ride shotgun in my Gouf." He said, "I think she's already done the extent of her programing when she shot the _Atlantia's_ Major. She won't back-stab us... I know it."

"I trust you. You trust her." Ron said, "Ergo, I will trust her too." Ron sighed. "Look, this is my way of trying to keep you and her safe. I've seen enough dead children in my life."

"You ain't the only one..." Jaden said, surprising Ron for a second before they boarded the Shuttle, which took them too the _Hell Hawk,_ which was in the progress of launching along with the _Argama,_ the _Phoenix, _four _Salamis Kai-_class Cruisers and a _Gwazine-_class Battleship. Heading out to meet with the Colonial Forces preparing to deploy to Icarus.

"You sure it'll fly?" Ron asked as they entered the _Hell Hawk's_ Hangar bay, where the Delta Gundam awaited "I read the specs and history on this thing: it said the frame was kind of brittle."

"Anaheim fixed that problem when they built this one." Jaden assured "You'll be fine."

Ron floated up towards his Gundam as they left the Shuttle, while Jaden headed towards the Gouf AR Type. He was glad he had finally mastered the art of 'Moving in Zero Gravity'. As he reached the chest, he opened the cockpit and hopped inside, then securing his flight helmet. "Yeah, a mix IS a good idea." He said to himself, while the Comm was still on with Jaden.

"_Huh?_" Jaden asked.

"No gravity in the hangers or engineering." Ron confirmed, nodding as he activated the Panoramic Cockpit "Easier to get into the Mobile Suits that way, as well as resupplying them."

"_All hands, stand by for jump!_" The Hell Hawk's Captain said, as Ron secured himself to the seat as the _Hell Hawk_ jumped. Moments later, the _Hell Hawk _and the fleet of Terran/Colonial vessels appeared at Icarus, where the battle was already underway.

"_We're heading out, Ron._" Jaden said, as his Gouf headed for the launch catapult. "_Jaden Takeo, Gouf AR Type, Launching!_" The Gouf AR Type launched out of the _Hell Hawk._ Soon, Ron's Delta Gundam followed suit "Ronald Pinkerton, Delta Gundam, Launching!" He shouted, as he followed Jaden out. After leaving the _Hell Hawk, _he activated the Waverider mode and transformed the Mobile Suit. "Almost like flying a Viper." Ron commented as he opened fire on the Raiders, saving the life and plane of one of the 108th's pilots.

"Keep your head on a swivel, kid!" Ron warned, "If you don't, you're dead! Am I clear?!"

"_Got it, Lieutenant Colonel!_"

"For the love of the Gods, I was promoted two months ago!" He shouted, "I'm a full Colonel now!" Ron transformed into MS mode and opened fire on the Raiders, forcing them to run into the _Pythia's_ unholy (ironic, considering Pythia was a prophet) AA barrage. "Jaden, I'm the newbie here." He said, "You lead the attack on the Baseship: I'll cover."

"_You sure about that?_" Jaden asked, just as he flew his Gouf against two Raiders. Firing his Heat Wire at one, dragging it towards him using it as a shield as the second Raider opened fire, but instead of hitting the Gouf, it hit its fellow Raider. Jaden then fired from behind the remains of the Raider with his 75mm Gatling, destroying it.

"VERY." Ron confirmed, "I'll show you how to disable the Baseship's FTL drive. Is D'Anna in that thing with you?"

"_Yes, Colonel, I am._" D'Anna said.

"Good. I'm trusting you guys." Ron said, "Lead us in." Both Mobile Suits flew toward the Baseship. A handful of Raiders got in there way, but which ever ones Jaden missed, were quickly gunned down by Ron in his Gundam. Each of them covered one-anothers back as they cut and shot their way to the Basestar.

Finally, the two Mobile Suits reached Basestar near the central axis "Alright, we're here." Jaden said, "So, where do we shoot?"

"_The central axis._" Ron said, "_The FTL drives are inside the central axis. Do you have any beam weapons?_"

Jaden shook his head "No, the Gouf's reactor isn't powerful enough for built-in E-Cap rechargers." Jaden said, and Ron cursed a bit _"Frak. Take mine: I'm a better fighter pilot, anyways!_" He said as he tossed the Gouf the beam rifle and transformed, giving Jaden cover as he took aim.

"Here goes nothing..." Jaden muttered as he fired, shoving three beam rounds into the Baseship, resulting in a few smaller explosions, disabling it. "Ron, did I do it?!" He asked.

"_Hell if I know!_"

"Wait, I thought you said-"

"_Most of my knowledge on Baseships comes from the War-era ones!_" Ron said, "_If we're lucky, they haven't learnt their lessons!_" And they were, indeed VERY lucky: the Baseship exhausted her missile load and all of her Raiders (normal and Heavy) were getting the hell out of there, but the Baseship was going nowhere.

However, just as the Baseship was officially disabled, they saw the _Titan_ was moving towards the Baseship"_All ships, _Titan:_ firing!_"

Ron's eyes widened "Wait, NO!" He shouted, but it came too late as the _Titan_ fired a volley, which struck the Baseship, damaging several areas before the Colonel's order came through. "We're CAPTURING it, you idiot!"

"_Frak. Now he's going to kill me_."

"Damn right I will, you fraking retard!" Ron shouted before he sighed "Jaden, let's get back on the _Hell Hawk_ and stow our machines."

"_Ron?_" Jaden asked.

"You're coming with me when we board that thing." Ron said with a grin "And I've got a present for you."

* * *

**Musai-Class Late Production Type Hell Hawk: 30 minutes later**

* * *

Jaden waited in the hanger as the Raptor that would be taking them to the Titan landed. "Oi, kid!" Ron said behind him, as Jaden turned and barely caught the weapon Ron tossed him. It was a modified G36K, with what looked like a small E-Cap instead of a magazine. Ron held a similar weapon and a normal G36K. "Remember those lasers we were working on?" Ron smiled. "I had the guys on the _Vulcan,_ the construction_ Zeus,_ build these. I gave them the blueprints, and they built two prototypes. They asked me to test them as soon as I could. This is the test."

Jaden blinked, then looked at the gun, before he grinned "Sweet."

"I had the same look on my face when they finished them." He said, as he hefted his rifle "They aren't lasers per se: more like infantry-sized beam rifles." Both men smiled as if their equivalent gift-receiving holidays had arrived VERY early. This disturbed every living being in the universe.

"Perfect," Jaden said, as he primed his Rifle. "I can't wait to see the faces of those Bastards when we unleash _these _on e'm..." He then glanced at D'Anna, "Ehh.. no offence or anything of course..."

"None Taken, don't worry." D'Anna said with a wave of her hand, before she glanced at Ron "I'm guessing there's only two Prototypes?"

"For now." He said as he tossed her the regular G36K. "But as soon as we get back, they'll start making pre-production models for me and Jaden to screw with." Then he tossed her a black BDU and a bulletproof vest. "You're coming with us, I take it, D'Anna?"

D'Anna nodded "Yeah," she said. "I know the basic layout of Baseships, and I can try and hack my way through any still active defense systems inside. I'll do what I can to help... I want to make up for what I did a few months ago with the Major..."

"In my eyes, you already have." Ron assured, "But the crew from _Atlantia_ doesn't think so. If I show them that you fought alongside us, they might take that hate and shove it out the airlock."

D'Anna smiled a bit and nodded "Right, thanks Colonel Pinkerton." She said, as she and Jaden headed for the Raptor. Ron smirked a bit before he followed them inside.

A few minutes passed, before the Raptor launched from the _Hell Hawk, _and were escorted to the disabled Basestar by a flight of Viper Mk VIIs. "Alright, kids. We have almost ZERO intel on this ship." Ron announced "What we DO know is that it's filled to the brim with Centurions and humanoid models, which you Marines have started to call 'skinjobs'. I find that horribly racist, and you're to stop NOW." He pointed at D'Anna "Ms. Biers is a friendly. If she is hurt during this mission, you will be spending the rest of existence in the vacuum of space. Am I clear?"

All the Marines nodded in fear. "Good."

"Sir, we're closing in on the Baseship now." The Raptor pilot said, as Ron and Jaden got up from the back and watched as they entered the Baseship's hanger. "These guys are MASTERS of artificial gravity manipulation." Ron said, "They don't _need _hangar doors: the AG field keeps the air inside." Jaden noted that Ron sounded amazed by that. "_Titan_, Raptor 970:" Ron said into the Comm "Get another pair of Raptors and Marine fire teams here RFN. I want them armed to the teeth: this is a Cylon ship we're dealing with."

"_Copy, Colonel._"

The hanger reflected the fact that the Baseship was organic: the hanger walls were fleshy. "Holy shit..." Jaden muttered, as the Raptor landed on the 'deck', and the hatch opened. Ron was the first one out, followed by D'Anna and Jaden. "Sir, there's nothing in here!" One of the Marines said, "No Centurions, no nothing!"

Ron checked the corridor connecting to the hanger, finding several downed and inactive Centurions. "What the hell?" He muttered. But suddenly, bullets flew toward the Colonel, causing him to hit the deck. He looked at the source, and saw a Number Six with honey blonde hair, shooting at him with a Colonial AK-102.

Ron, not wanting to waste his beam ammo on the organic model, pulled out a Colonial P90 and opened fire on the Cylon, killing her. "Whatever took out the bullet heads didn't knock out the skin-" Ron glared at the Marine. "Humanoid models." The Marine quickly corrected himself.

"Right. D'Anna, I'm putting you in charge of the Marine fire team." Ron ordered, "Take them to the control room if you can." He then turned to Jaden "Jaden, you and me are going exploring."

Jaden pulled out his UMP45 nodding as he nodded, and followed Ron deeper into the Baseship. "You know where you're going?" Jaden asked.

"Barely." Ron said, "Baseship design hasn't changed that much. I THINK we're heading for the secondary control room."

"_...trials of the parents never end. Damage to all systems: repairing. The eye of the beholder-_"

Both looked at one another and spoke as one. "What the frak/fuck?" They both said, before they turned and entered the next room and saw a woman in a tub of goo. At this moment, both men were VERY confused. Then Ron saw that it was only the torso of a woman: the rest was gone, replaced with cables connecting it to the Baseship.

"What the... fucking hell?" Jaden muttered, as he couldn't believe what he was seeing as Ron tapped his comm. "D'Anna?" He said, "We just found a lady...or at least HALF of one...in a tub."

"_Is it speaking?_" D'Anna asked.

"_Launchers Alpha through Sierra regenerating. Death comes to only the mortal ones: the gods live forever. End of line._"

"...It's making no fraking sense, but yeah." Ron said.

"_It's the Hybrid: it controls the Baseship._" D'Anna said, "_Or it IS the Baseship. I don't know: my memories are very muddled._"

"I think ANYTHING involving this thing is muddled." Ron said, shaking his head "And I think I know why the Leobens are completely mental: they probably spend their days beside this thing's tub."

"_I think you're probably right._" D'Anna said, as both men shared a look. "Should I be scared, Ron?" Jaden asked.

"I'm fraking terrified, kid: what do you think?" He asked.

"_Centurion controls are 50% and rising. The unwelcome guests are soon to be gone as the machine awakens. The Five are asleep, but will awaken in time. End of line._"

"Five?" Jaden asked, "As in the Cylon model or-"

"I think it's talking about the other Cylon models." Ron said, "Five extra ones?" Ron looked at the Hybrid. "And if this thing's words are to be taken seriously, they're all sleeper agents."

"_The Jealous One murdered the Gentle Seven. None are left. No answers for you here, Ronald. End of line._"

Ron did NOT look impressed. "It's **mocking **us." He growled.

"_Love will strike those who do not see it coming. FTL drive at 0.25%: regeneration commencing. The home of the Gods will be a battlefield once again. Four in the Fleet, one on _Galactica's _world. She regrets what she did, Ronald, so don't kill her. End of line._"

"...Great. It vomits metaphysics and gives status reports at the same time." Ron groaned "Who the hell designed this thing?" (In _Galactica's _fleet and on Caprica, 5 people sneezed)

Jaden looked back at what the Hybrid said "It said 'The Jealous One murdered the Gentle Seven. None are left.'..." He said, before his eyes widened and snapped his fingers "The Number Seven Cylon! One of the other Humanoid Cylons must of killed off the entire Number Seven line!"

"_Jealous One. Emphasis on One. Cavil. Cavil killed the Sevens._"

Ron was confused. "Why the hell would he do that?" He asked, "That doesn't make any fraking sense, jealousy or not."

"Hmm... what about this... five?" Jaden asked, "'The Five are asleep, but will awaken in time.'..." He brought up a Comm "D'Anna, do you know anything about Five Cylon Models in particular?" He asked, "Not the Numbers One through Eight?"

There was a short pause before she answered "_I... I do remember someone mentioning a... a Final Five..._" She said, "_I... I can't remember their names or what they looked like... I think they were the original Humanoid Cylons, the first and Creators of the process._"

"More programming blocks." Ronald said, as he shook his head "Some One went to a LOT of trouble to hide the Final Five. Why are they so important besides being Cylons?"

"The Hybrid said the Five are asleep..." Jaden pointed out. "What if... what if the Final Five are like D'Anna? They don't _know _they're Cylons yet, this Cavil model could have suppressed their memories like they did her, and put them in the Twelve Colonies? If the Final Five created Humanoid Cylons, then they probably also created the Resurrection tech that they use!"

Ron smirked. "Nice detective work." He said, "Still a lot of unanswered questions, though. Did the 0005s make the Final Five? And better yet, who and where are they?"

"Hmm... well, she... it said 'Four in the Fleet, one on _Galactica's_ world.' " Jaden said, "I guess it means four are either in our fleet or _Galactica's_... but what does it mean by 'one on _Galactica's_ world?"

"Wait a second..." Ron said, "There used to be just 12 Battlestars. Caprica was represented by _Galactica_! A member of the Final Five is on Caprica?!"

"And there are four more in space. And they don't know if they're Cylons or not." Jaden said, before he frowned "But... what I don't get is _why _would Cavil send them to the 12 Colonies? I mean... it doesn't seem right to send them there _and _suppress their memories. What if the Final Five are the only ones who know how to _make _this Resurrection Tech? Or additional Humanoid Cylons?"

"Ok, we've got three jobs now:" Ron said, as he counted them down on his fingers "Find Cain and kill her, find _Galactica _and solve this mystery."

"Don't forget: 'Find Earth'." Jaden said, before he paused "But... one last thing that's bugging me..." He turned to the Hybrid "What did it mean by 'The home of the Gods will be a battlefield once again_._'?"

Ron felt faint. "Kobol." He whispered "Birthplace of mankind, home of the Gods. Cain's going to fight the Cylons over Kobol?"

Jaden blinked "Kobol? Is... that a _bad _thing?" He asked.

"The scrolls say that ANY return to Kobol will have a cost." He said as he paled. "In blood."

Jaden gulped a bit "...yeah, that sounds bad." He said, "I guess that means we're gonna have to find Kobol, right?"

"HELL NO." Ron shouted, causing Jaden to jump "Didn't you hear me? COST IN BLOOD. ANY RETURN. That includes ANYONE going there!"

"But if Cain is going there, then we have to go there as well to keep up with the trail, right?" Jaden asked, "If we're lucky, we won't even have to step foot on the planet!" He then paused "Ron, I respect the whole religion and the scrolls you follow, but don't you think you're being a bit literal here? Its not like the planet is cursed or anything, right? What could possibly be down there that would cause any return to be 'Cost in Blood'?"

"This isn't me being religious." Ron said, shaking his head "My sense of self-preservation is yelling at me NOT to go anywhere NEAR Kobol."

"If we want to find Cain, do we have much of a choice?" Jaden asked.

"No, but I'm getting a very bad feeling about this." Ron said, before he sighed. "Look, let's just disconnect the fraking Hybrid and drag the Baseship back to the fleet. We'll deal with Kobol if and when we get there."

Jaden nodded, as he moved to disconnect the Hybrid. As he prepared to do so, however, the Hybrid said one last phrase. **(RON AN: I would recommend playing The Signal from the Season 4 OST of **_**BSG **_**now)**

"_Reinforcements Inbound, arrival imminent. The Comet and Unicorn will fall, but you shall help them rise and unite. And the Mother and Father of Takeo shall return. End of Line._"

Jaden froze at that, before he looked at the Hybrid "My.., what do you know about my parents?" he asked, "Tell me! What do you know?!"

"Wait, reinforcements? Oh, SHIT!" Ron shouted, and at that moment, six Cylon Baseships jumped in.

"_Psycho, _Titan_: you've got company, six Baseships just jumped in!_" The Captain of the _Titan _reported "_Recommend you evac, NOW!_"

"Fuck that!" Jaden shouted, "This thing knows something about my parents!"

"I agree with the sentiment, but not the reason, Jaden." Ron said, "This Baseship is an intelligence wet dream, and I'm not letting it go! Follow me to the hanger: I've got an idea!"

Ron ran out the door, being followed by Jaden, who only paused to glare at the Hybrid before leaving the room. Both men ran to the hanger, and back to the Raptor. "What's the plan, Colonel?" He asked.

"The Baseship's still got machine parts, right?" He asked, and Jaden nodded. "We hook the Raptor's controls into the Baseship. That way we can steer this thing and use the FTL drive."

"Is that last part even possible?!" Jaden asked with wide eyes.

"I did it with a Raptor and a colony cylinder 15 years ago," He said, "And those things are a LOT bigger then a Baseship! Come on!"

Both men pushed the Raptor into the corridor, and Ron got to work on the cabling. "How are we going to steer it?!" Jaden asked.

"The aft screens!" Ron said, "You call out what you see on DRADIS, I steer!"

Jaden looked incredulous, but nodded as Ron stripped out cables and started connecting them into the Baseship's network. Then the DRADIS flickered slightly before giving out the signals they needed. "Uh, I'm seeing lots of tiny dots coming at us!" Jaden warned.

"FRAK! Baseships are launching missiles at us!" Ron shouted as he got to the controls and pushed forward. "Are they getting closer?!"

"Yeah. Slower, but still!" Jaden said.

"Good! That means we're moving!" He said before he turned on the Comm "_Titan_, Psycho: damaged Baseship is under Colonial control! Working on repairing FTL drive!"

"_Copy, Colonel! All Vipers, as weird as this sounds, defend that Baseship!_"

Ron pushed the control column all the way forward, trying to get the Baseship into the safety of the fleet. "_Titan_, Psycho: we've got missiles on our asses!" Ron shouted,"Would somebody PLEASE get them off us?!"

"_Psycho, _Pythia: _moving into position to intercept the missiles._" The _Spitfire-_class Cruiser said, as Ron jammed the column into position and moved back. "Syncing the FTL drive so it jumps us AND the Baseship is going to be a bit of a bitch." Ron muttered, "But I'm a downright asshole."

Ron got into the electrical compartment. "YOU steer, I'LL get the FTL online!" Ron told Jaden, as he ran to the cockpit, then unjammed the control column. "Uh, where am I going, Ron?" He asked.

"_Titan_ bearing 351 carom 150!" Ron ordered, "Turn us to starboard: I don't want to ram her!" Outside, the Baseship was heading toward the gas giant. Ron's plan was to use it as a shield. Ron could calculate jumps as good as the Cylons, but they lacked his creativity.

"OK. Jaden, FTL drive is online." Ron said, "When I say so, press the big red button."

"Got it!" Jaden said, when just then an alarm started blaring in the cockpit. "What the hell is that?!"

"Radiological alarm: Cylons are launching nukes at us!" Ron shouted, and Jaden cursed "Oh, that's just perfect!"

Ron began typing like a maniac. "Come on, come on..." He muttered. And then suddenly, the board turned green. "FTL coordinates input!" Ron shouted "Jump, NOW!" Jaden pushed the button, jumping the Baseship out of harm's way. It reappeared on the other side of the planet. "Oh, thank God." Jaden muttered, slumping down in his seat.

"Praise the Gods, plural and otherwise, later." Ron said, as he stood up "Let's get back to the Hybrid. I want some answers. How it knew my name, how it knew your surname and how the hell it knows about the Final Five!"

"Don't need to tell me twice," Jaden said, he got out of his seat, and followed Ron off the Raptor and back where they came. Jaden pulled up a Comm "Hey D'Anna, how are you doing on your end?"

There was a short pause before she answered "_So far so good,_" she said. "_Most of the Centurions seem to be offline... we've only engaged mostly Humanoid Cylons, and a handful of Centurions. Did we just Jump or something?_"

"Yeah, on the other side of Icarus," Jaden said, "Cylon Reinforcements are attacking, we need to clear this ship of the Cylons onboard and quick."

"We're heading back to the Hybrid." Ron said, "I'm not sure why, but some of the shit it's spouting makes sense." Ron shooked his head slightly. "After, of course, you think about it for a minute or two."

"_Copy. I'll tell the Centurions to stand down as soon as we reach the control room._"

Then a Centurion started coming online. "Frak!" Ron shouted as he pulled out the beam rifle and took aim before firing two rounds of high-energy plasma into the Cylon's body. Both melted the metal and killed it, the hulk slumping to the ground.

Both Jaden and Ron blinked in surprise as they glanced at one-another, and grinned "Well, I'd call that a success." Ron said, "You?"

Jaden nodded. "Yeah. Complete Success." He said, as both ran to the Hybrid's chamber once again.

However when they arrived, they were not alone as Inside was a wounded Number One who just dragged himself in. "Frak. Humans." The Cylon muttered.

Ron chuckled. "So, would you prefer One or Cavil?" He asked, as they approached the Cylon.

"Frak you, Pinkerton!" The Cylon shouted. Ron looked at the man's leg and had an idea. He took aim with the rifle and fired one shot, cutting the Cylon's leg off, as the Cavil The Cavil screamed in pain.

"Ron, that was not necessary?" Jaden asked, while Ron nodded. "Yes it was." He said, "We need to know what this shit does to organic material. Now we know." They both looked down at the Cavil, as he gripped his leg, trying to stop the bleeding. "Should we put him out of his misery?"

"Ron, we don't know what the range of a Resurrection Ship is." Jaden warned, "Do they need to be in the same system, is closer better-"

Ron sighed. "Screw it." He said, as he took aim "The Cylons already know we have the Baseship."

Jaden, looking at the Cavil, sighed as he took aim as well and prepared to fire. "W-Wait!" The Cylon shouted, raising its hand, "I can tell you about the Final Five!"

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" He asked.

"That fraking thing-" The Cylon said, pointing at the Hybrid, still spewing status reports and metaphysics. "Will make you run around in circles while I can tell you everything."

Ron smirked. "Alright." He said, as they lowered their rifles "Jaden, go back to the Raptor: there's a medical kit. Bring it back here."

Jaden nodded as he ran off as Ron walked toward the Cavil. "You WILL tell me everything." Ron said, "And I will make sure it's the truth. But not here. On _Mercury_."

The Cavil groaned. "Frak." He muttered. A few minutes later, Jaden ran back in with the medical kit. "You sure you can use that thing?" He asked, handing it over to Ron.

"I've got field medic training." Ron said as he opened the Med kit. "He's got light shrapnel wounds, and he's bleeding out from his leg. That I can fix. Besides, medicine and engineering are almost two sides of the same coin when you stop to think about it."

That got a laugh out of the Scrap Vulture as he took Ron's beam rifle. "Keep an eye on both those doors." He warned, "Cavil wouldn't just agree to give us intel unless there were a few Centurions nearby waiting to gut us." Jaden nodded, as he sat on the ground, pointing one rifle each at the entrances to the chamber. Ron put on a pair of latex gloves and got to work patching Cavil up. Jaden looked at Ron as the man healed the now unconscious Cavil. "So, how are you going to make sure he's telling the truth?" He asked.

"The military o nce ran an experimental interrogation program involving drugs. Hallucinogens, specifically." Ron answered, "The goal of the program was to create a state of anxiety so intense that the subject believed that their very survival was at stake." Jaden looked at Ron in surprise. "The interrogators would exploit that. Become less an adversary, and more a lifeline. At least that was the idea."

"And you've got these drugs on _Mercury_?" Jaden asked, a bit warily.

"The compounds are in most medical facilities." Ron answered, "I helped in the experiments."

Jaden sighed, as he shook his head. "Ron, It sounds like you guys did what the Titans would pull off if they had the chance." He said.

"I'm not a fan of it." Ron said, shaking his head "I was doing my job at the time, and I was actually happy that they shelved the whole thing because the Colonies were a united power for the first time in history. And the drugs themselves are not life threatening. I made DAMN sure of that. Any loud noises, on the other hand, will make the man have a heart attack."

Jaden rose an eyebrow "How are you so sure?" He asked, and Ron Shrugged "Because I was the test subject." He said, "I volunteered."

Jaden blinked in surprise. "YOU?" He asked in surprise.

"Yeah. I'm not going to order someone to do what I won't do myself." Ron said, "I nearly had two heart attacks because they knocked a few things over, but other then that, I was perfectly fine afterwards." Ron began sewing the stomach wound up. "But we keep the formula on hand, just in case we actually need it." He chuckled. "Same principle as a condom: rather have it and never need it then need it and not have it. We're practical that way." He took off the gloves and tossed them into a corner. "I'll head back to the Raptor: contact the fleet, see what's going on." Ron left and ran back to the Raptor, leaving Jaden to think about what Ron just told him.

The Colonial Fleet were a combination of the regular forces and the Titans: they used extreme means in VERY extreme circumstances, but the rest of the time, they avoided casualties if they could. They hoped and prayed that the day came where the weapons they made were used would never come, but nevertheless, prepared for the day. "What the hell made them like this?" He asked himself, as he looked at the Hybrid, still speaking and giving cryptic answers to unknown questions. "And what the hell do you know?"

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Mercury **_**- sickbay - 48 hours later**

* * *

After stabilizing him and making sure he was alright, sans the leg, Ron prepared the cocktail. "Who's going to do the interrogation?" Jaden asked, before Ron looked at him.

"We are." He said, as Jaden looked at him in surprise "The moment I eject this shit into his body, we are his lifeline."

The area around Cavil's bed was clear of anything they might knock over. Killing him was not on anyone's to-do list. He secured the Cavil's head, legs and arms, then injected the compound into the prisoner's body.

At that moment, he woke up, but his eyes darted around, as he started freaking out. "What the hell?! Where am I?!" The Cavil demanded.

Ron picked up a flashlight and shined it into his face. "Cavil." He spoke, "Can you hear me?"

"Colonel?"

"We're here, Cavil." Ron said, "We're looking for you."

"We?" Cavil asked, looking around "Who's with you?"

Jaden gulped a bit, before he walked up beside Ron. "I'm here with him, Cavil." Jaden said, trying to follow Ron's instructions "We're... worried about you. Where are you?"

"The mists!" Cavil shouted, "I can't-I'm in the mists! Help me!"

"Look for the light, Cavil." Ron said, "Can you see the light?" Cavil tried nodding. "Yes! I see it! It's keeping the mist away!"

"Good." Ron said, as he looked at Jaden. "Cavil, what can you tell us about the Final Five?"

Cavil groaned as a set of programming blocks kept their identities from him. While all Ones knew their faces and names, if they were ever captured, the blocks kicked in, keeping him from telling them. "I can't tell you! My mind-"

"Cavil, all we want to know is where they are." Ron said, "Are they in our fleet or _Galactica's_?"

"_Galactica! Galactica!_" Cavil repeated, as Ron smirked as he looked at Jaden. "That answers one riddle." He said, as he nodded at Jaden who looked at Cavil. Sighing, Jaden spoke "Why... why were they sent to the Colonies?" He asked.

"To learn." Cavil said, "To understand."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Understand what, Cavil?" He asked, as he dimmed the light, as Cavil started to panic "Where's the light going?!" He shouted.

"Cavil, what were they sent to understand?" Ron demanded, "Answer it, or the light will go away."

Cavil started gasping. "To learn the moral failures of humanity!" He shouted, "To learn that we were better than you!"

Ron scoffed. "You killed off 99% of our species." He said, before he muttered "Moral high ground, my ass." Ron then shut off the light, causing Jaden to look at him in shock. "Ron, he'll-" He began before Ron cut him off.

"The cocktail's only got a three hour half-life." He said, "He'll be scared out of his wits, but it won't kill him as long as no one knocks anything over."

Jaden just gulped, and nodded"This...I feel wrong." He muttered, "This... it doesn't feel right..."

"If it makes you feel any better, So do I." Ron said, causing Jaden to look at him surprised "I'm not proud of doing this, but we needed truthful answers. I just hope we never have to do this ever again."

"Yeah..." Jaden said, with a grim smile "So say we all."

* * *

_**67 Days after the Fall of the Colonies: Raptor 419, unexplored system**_

* * *

Once again, Raptor 419 made yet another jump into another Planetary system. Swallow sighed as she piloted the Raptor forward "Why are _we _always the ones pulling Recon?" She asked.

"Hell if I know," Thunderkid muttered as he looked through DRADIS, "Its all just... hey... hey I've got something here!" At that moment, they nearly rammed into a piece of wreckage that clearly belonged to a Raptor like theirs.

"Holy shit, Swallow!" Thunderkid shouted.

"Hey, you're the ECO! You're supposed to warn me about shit like that!" Swallow shouted, as she looked at the Raptor, noticing a lot of dead bodies. "Frak. Must've been fully loaded." She muttered, "Even the assholes under Cain don't deserve that."

"What about Cain?" Thunderkid asked, and Swallow paused before she chuckled a bit dryly. "...Hopefully, the Colonel finds a way to kill her, bring her back and kill her again." She said, before just then a large chunk of ship drifted past. It clearly belonged to a Baseship, but it seemed that it was blown up from the inside out.

"Whoa. Have to admit, Cain's got balls pulling something like that." Swallow said.

"Real fuzzy ones." Thunderkid said, "Looks like it was a nuke. Think we should jump back?"

Swallow shook her head. "Not yet. Make one or two recon runs of the planet, then jump back." She said, "Colonel's going to want to bring that Raptor back, if only to bury the dead."

Thunderkid nodded. "Amen to that." He said, as Raptor 419 started orbiting the planet, taking some pretty pictures of it. They made two orbits, then jumped back to the fleet.

* * *

**Battlestar Mercury - Commander's Quarters - 3 hours later**

* * *

As the discovery of a planet was important news, the leaders of the fleet, military and civilian, had come to the Commander's quarters on _Mercury_. "The planet's seen habitation, if the ruins are any indication." Sasha said, "Its still got near perfect living conditions." She then turned to Ron, who sat in a chair away from the table, refused to look at them. "Colonel, what do you think?"

Ron simply spoke a line in what sounded like Greek, then left. Jaden blinked. "What's with him?" He asked, as he saw Zane flinch. "He said 'The Gods warned us, yet we did not listen'." He said, "I think he just told us that we found Kobol."

Jaden looked at the photos again. "This is Kobol?" He asked in a hint of amazement

"Kobol. Home of the Gods, birthplace of humanity and all that shit." Sasha said, before she sighed "And he was right: we didn't listen... Send the Vulture to pick up that Raptor. The people on it deserve a proper burial." She looked at the Baseship wreckage in the next photo. "Cain nuked it?"

Jaden shook his head. "I don't think so." He said, "CCE keeps records of nuclear weapons signatures, and none of the nukes from _Pegasus_ match the nuke that blew up that Baseship."

Sasha sighed as she looked at Shannon Noble, acting leader of the Colonial civilian population. "I just know that the Gemonese are DYING to go down there." She said.

"They are. But I'm not letting them." Sasha said, "You know exactly why. We go down there, people will die. We go remotely anywhere near the surface, people will die."

Jaden scoffed. "That's a bit conceited." Jaden said, "I mean, seriously."

"Jaden, at least 10 men and women died on that Raptor." Sasha retorted, "I don't know how many died on that Baseship, and according to the reports given by Swallow and Thunderkid, another Raptor crashed down there! We are not going anywhere near Kobol. If you guys want to send a ship, go right ahead. When it doesn't come back..." Sasha left the comment open-ended.

Jaden noted that they took the scriptures seriously, and if the photos said anything, they weren't being _entirely _superstitious. They were scared, and they didn't want to lose anyone down there.

"Commander, we can take two ships." Jaden said, "One can land on the surface. If shit gets hairy, we jump out and we wait for you guys to say I told you so."

* * *

**Kobol orbit - 2 hours later**

* * *

Three ships jumped into orbit of the home of the Gods: the _Argama, Hell Hawk_ and _Vulture_. Against the man's better judgment, Ron was onboard the _Hell Hawk_.

"Make sure all hands are wearing Normal Suits Captain," Jaden said to the Captain of the _Hell Hawk._ "And keep the energy condenser's of the main cannons charged for a Mega Particle blast just in case."

The Captain nodded, as Jaden turned to face Ron "Can't believe you came with us, Ron." Jaden said, as they stood on the bridge of the _Musai-_class Late production Type.

"Well, I'm not leaving you people to hang." Ron said, his eyes still on the planet below them "Don't blame Sasha for what she said after I left. It's just ingrained into our heads. 'Never return to Kobol, or there will be blood'."

"Well, there was blood. Cain lost a Raptor, the Cylons lost a Baseship." Jaden said, but Ron shook his head "It wasn't Cain." He said, as he sat on the deck.

"What?" Jaden asked surprised.

"The nuke was from Ragnar." Ron said, "Either Cain went there or it was _Galactica_. Won't know until the Raptor's been recovered." Jaden looked at Ron. "Ok. You're mopy." He asked, "What's wrong?"

Ron sighed as he began to speak "I-" Before he could continue that, suddenly A Baseship jumped into view, but it was badly damaged, as patches of its organic hull were exposed, and it almost looked like its Axis would break off in two. "Oh, boy." Ron muttered, as It looked like it had been in a major firefight, likely with _Pegasus_.

Even so, It started launching Raiders and missiles. "Colonel, _Vulture_ just finished recovering the Raptor!" The Captain said.

"Then jump us back to the Fleet!" Ron ordered, as the _Argama_ and _Vulture_ jumped, but the _Hell Hawk_ didn't. "Oh, shit. Captain?!" Jaden asked.

"FTL drive's offline!" The FTL Operator announced, as Ron hopped over to the console. "Sync coil's fried." He growled "Fraking civilian FTL drives! I'll go fix it!"

"Should we launch Mobile Suits?!"

"Don't bother!" Ron shouted, "Recovering them would take too much time!" Ron hopped down into engineering as missiles hit the hull.

"Activate the Main Cannons, and hit that Baseship!" Jaden said, "The Cannon's disabling effect should keep them distracted. And open fire with Triple-A and Defense Missiles!"

The _Hell Hawk _raised its nose, as it fired its four Forward Mega Particle Cannons, the beams passed through a wave of Raiders, the side-effects of the Cannon disabling the unprotected Raiders, as they traced to the Basestar, where the beams hit the central axis, causing additional explosions which nearly tore the Cylon Warship in half. However the Basestar was largely out, but the missile it had already launched, as well as those being launched by the Raiders still functioning, continued forward.

The AA guns opened fire, managing to nail many of the missiles while the _Hell Hawk _fired Counter-Missiles as well. But but some missiles got through, impacting on the hull of the _Musai-_class. The explosions caused several sections to vent into space. Jaden watched in horror as three of his people drifted out into space. But they were in Normal Suits though. "Oh, my God." he muttered.

"_Bridge, Psycho: It's going to take me a minute or two to fix this!_" Ron shouted on the Comm,"_Recommend you turn and get the hell out of here, flank speed!_"

"Do it!" Jaden shouted, "And once we turn, fire off the rear Mega Particle Cannon! Finish off that Basestar!" The _Hell Hawk_ turned and kicked on the CTP-drive engines, outrunning the Raiders, but not the missiles as three more hit the stern. At that moment however, the _Hell Hawk _fired its stern Mega Particle Cannon, which hit the Baseship right on the Central Axis, the blast being the final straw as the Basestar was separated in two.

"_Frak! Bridge, Psycho: FTL drive is online!_"

"Then jump us back to the fleet!" Jaden shouted, as the _Musai_-Class LPT jumped away from Kobol, and back to the fleet.

"Hell Hawk, Mercury: _what the hell happened out there?!_" Sasha shouted on the Comm. Jaden was the one who answered.

"We got attacked by the Cylons!" He said, "A single heavily damaged Baseship jumped in. We destroyed it, but there were too many Raiders. Some of my people were sent into the vacuum, but they were wearing Normal Suits, so they're still alive! Request-"

"I wouldn't, kid." Jaden turned to see Ron walk onto the bridge, shaking his head sadly. "If I knew people were out there, I wouldn't have gone down there to fix the FTL drive."

Jaden looked at him oddly "What are you talking about?" He asked, and Ron sighed.

"Do you know what happens when an FTL drive is activated?" He asked, confusing Jaden but he nodded.

"Yeah... we move from one place to another faster then light?" He asked, but Ron shook his head.

"Yes, but have you ever thought about the side-effects?" He asked, "A jump creates a spacial distortion. That's why I don't jump _inside_ a flight pod: I could easily tear a ship's guts out. I can do it in larger hangers like the Garden of Thorns' because I don't have to worry about it. How big do you think the distortion a ship the size of a Viper makes?"

Jaden shrugged "I... I don't know." He said, and Ron answered "Three meters." He said, "A Raptor causes a 7 meter distortion. A ship this size would cause a 70 to 80 meter one."

Jaden's eyes widened in horror. "We...we killed our own people?!" He shouted.

Ron could only slump onto the deck. "I wish you had told me, then I would've warned you about it." He muttered, "I'd've told you to launch a Raptor so you could recover your people..." The CCE head started openly crying. "I murdered your people..." No one knew what to say, so no one said anything. Jaden stood there, shell shocked as his Colonial mentor/student/friend cried on the deck.

* * *

**72 days since the Fall of the Colonies: Battlestar **_**Athena**_

* * *

Jaden knocked on the door that would normally be used as the commander's quarters on a normal Battlestar. But on the _Athena_, it was Ron's 'quarters'. The man used to be on the move every day before the Fall, moving from one ship to the next, so a room was always set aside for him.

"It's unlocked. Come in." Ron could be on the other side, as Jaden opened the door, and in he came. Inside, Jaden quickly found Ron sitting behind the desk of the quarters. The CCE leader looked up from the desk, as Jaden and Ron looked at one another.

"Jaden." Ron said, with a nod as he saw up "I thought that you would be trying to kill me for what happened last week."

Jaden was silent for a few moments, before he sighed "Ron...you didn't tell us because it slipped your mind." He said, "They died because... we were clueless, and caught by surprise by that Basestar."

"Negligence." Ron repeated, his eyes lowering a bit "The one thing that is drilled into the heads of every CCE member is that negligence is to be avoided at all costs. If not, people die. I was negligent. I was complacent: too used to working with people who knew what they were talking about." He looked Jaden in the eye, and Jaden could see his own eyes were red from crying. "Those men and women had families back on Earth. How can I explain to them that I was responsible for their deaths?"

"You don't, because you weren't." Jaden said, as he walked towards the desk "You said it yourself five days ago: if we told you, then you would have warned had no way of knowing that would happen unless we had told you Ron.."

Ron chuckled. "That's it then." He muttered,"This was a collective failure on BOTH our parts."

Jaden nodded. "Equal blame." He said as Ron finally smiled a bit

"Ok. That I can live with." He said as he stood up. "Then we can both tell their families. Together, when we get to Earth" Jaden smiled a bit himself as he stuck out his hand and Ron shook it.

"Come on, Ron." Jaden said, "We've got a fleet to refit." Both men walked out of the Colonel's self-imposed prison. "We may have come up with that damned engine together, but I can't make heads or tails of the gravitic propulsion part of the CTP-drive."

"Well, Minovsky physics confuse the shit out of me."

Both men started laughing.

* * *

**100 days since the Fall of the Colonies - Garden of Thorns**

* * *

"It has been 100 days since our distant relatives from the 12 Colonies were attacked, without cause, and their worlds devastated." The civilian chairwoman and 'voice' of the people of earth, Serrana Karn, "We pause to mourn and pray for those who died in the Attack on the Colonies 3 months ago."

Outside the procession were Ron, Rachel Milstein, Jaden and D'Anna, who simply sat quietly...for the most part. "I don't see the point in having a funeral service for people who died 3 months ago." Ron whispered.

"You had one of those people you recovered from that Raptor back on Kobol." Rachel pointed out, but Ron shook his head.

"I meant me personally." He said, "Commander Urei held the service and threatened to shoot me if I didn't attend."

D'Anna chuckled. "And you've been keeping secrets about which ship that Raptor was from." She said.

"Only because I haven't cleaned the patches on the flight suits." Ron said as Jaden laughed a bit.

"Another lesson in Colonial military tradition is inbound, people." He said with a smirk "Pull out your pens and paper." Everyone shared a laugh at the joke, even Ron.

"You're right, kid." He said, "Another lesson: Each ship has a uniquely colored badge. _Mercury's_ is black on gold, _Athena's_, crimson on silver and so on. _Pegasus'_ badge is purple on white while _Galactica's_ badge is gold on silver."

Jaden sighed. "Any news on _Pegasus_?" He asked, and Ron sighed in disgust. "No." He said, "If I will grant Cain ANYTHING, it's that she moves fast. But we're tracking her. Thankfully, she's still alone, and with minimal support. If they take damage, then they can't jump for a while, which slows them down."

"And we're hoping to catch them while they're under repair?" Rachel asked, and Ron nodded.

"That's the idea." He said, "Problem is, I don't think we're following _Pegasus_. Everything I've seen points to _Galactica_."

Jaden sighed. "And you think the badges are from _Galactica_." He said, and Ron nodded.

"Yeah... not 100% sure yet though," he said. "I'll hopefully have the results by the end of the week if we're lucky. But I am pretty sure it's _Galactica, _and not _Pegasus _that ended up at Kobol."

Jaden shrugged "Well... maybe we'll get lucky?" He asked, with a small grin "Maybe we'll find _Pegasus _and _Galactica _at the same time? Two birds with one stone?" Ron attempted to resist laughing. To quote a famous fictional alien race, resistance was futile. "If we do, I will give you a bottle of my family's famous ambrosia."

Jaden chuckled "Thanks." He said, as Ron just smirked "You won't be thanking me when you drink that first shot." He said with a dark chuckle "It's the Colonial version of absinthe." Rachel chuckled at the look on Jaden's face.

* * *

**129 days after the Fall of the Colonies - Shipyard 3**

* * *

It was time for the launching ceremony of the hybrid _Mercury_-Class Battlestar. Because the President was in _Galactica's_ Fleet, Sasha decided to take the woman's place, as she stood behind the podium, where right behind her lied the Battlestar herself. Standing beside her, wearing their best, were Ron and Jaden, who were scaring the shit out of anyone who looked directly at them. Why? They were smiling. And it wasn't the grins they sported from time to time. These smiles were EVIL. And Ron's was especially Deep, as the results were in about the Unknown Raptor's pilots: the badges were from _Galactica_.

"Good morning, everyone!" Sasha said smiling "I am pleased to announce the commissioning of the first Battlestar built by Colonial and Terran hands together!" The crowds that had gathered cheered, a mixture of both citizens of the Garden of Thorns and the Island Cylinder colonies of the Colonials. When the cheers died down, Sasha continued "This ship is a symbol of the cooperation between Earth and her Colonial brothers and sisters. Rebuilt and remade into the second deadliest class of warship in the fleet. The first, of course, being the _Zeus_-Class Battlestar Dreadnoughts."

Ron's smiled deepened, A worrying sign to many as Sasha turned to face the two men. She regretted it when she looked at them, as they still wore those unnerving smiles. "Gentlemen?" She asked, as she handed them the sacrificial bottle of alcohol that was to be smashed against the ship's hull, then moved off the stage.

"Should I do it, or you?" Ron asked, as Jaden shrugged before he grinned. "Why not both?" He asked.

"AH! Perfect!" Ron said as they put it in the compressed air launcher that would shoot it at the hull of the Battlestar. Both placed their hands on the big red button that would fire the airgun. "On three."

"One."

"Two."

"THREE!"

They fired the bottle at the hull, and it shattered instantly. The lights came on, displaying the name of the new ship "Ladies and gentlemen, the Battlestar _Sydney_!" Jaden shouted, as the civilian press buzzed like bees as they took photos of the ship. The _Sydney_ was named after the city destroyed in the infamous Operation British colony drop. In this way, the name of the city would live on in a new breed of warship.

The Battlestar had been modified to carry two full squadrons of Mobile Suits and a Mercury's standard load of 12 Vipers squadrons. That was the hardest design hurtle, and made for many sleepless nights for the two men who redesigned the ship, but it was worth it. Armed with a mixture of Colonial and Terran weaponry and technology, the _Sydney _would without a doubt become the next Pride of the Colonials and the Terrans.

"_Sydney_, Psycho: you are clear to leave the dock!" Ron announced into the Comm.

"_Copy, Colonel: kicking on the engines!_" The tylium-using sublights had been removed, and the _Sydney_ was the first ship in the fleet to use CTP-drive engines from the start. (About a sixth of the fleet had been refit with the new engines, but the _Sydney_ was practically rebuilt from the ground up) Now the engines proved their worth, pushing the ship out of the dock with a minimum of fuss.

Ron chuckled at the sight. "I LOVE it when shit works out." He said as he looked at his unofficial CCE XO/student/mentor/friend. "How about you, Jaden?"

Jaden nodded. "Better than all the shit we went through getting that thing to work." He said, "She's a real beauty... and it was all worth it."

"Wonder if anyone else has that 'fraking A' feeling?" Ron asked, (On Galactica, Chief Galen Tyrol sneezed, causing him to drop a pod that would eventually hold a DDG-62 engine in his future stealth reconnaissance fighter, the Blackbird) as he patted Jaden on the shoulder. "Come on. She may be out of the dock, but we still got bugs to work out on those beam cannons."

"Well, we wouldn't have those problems if the turret barrels weren't so big." Jaden muttered.

"It was YOUR idea to reuse the barrels and the turrets, kid."

"Hey, remember that when those cannons fire a fully charged Mega Particle Shot, it could blast a full chunk off of a Basestar, and you know it! And disable anything around it within a few Kilometers! It was worth it!"

* * *

**169 days after the Fall of the Colonies - Battlestar **_**Sydney**_**: recon mission/test flight**

* * *

The massive Battlestar hybrid jumped into another system, performing a recon mission and test of the new beam cannons that took over a month to fix. In CIC were Ron and Jaden, who was there to help fix the guns in case something went wrong. "DRADIS." Jaden asked the moment they exited the Jump.

"Mostly clear." The DRADIS Operator said.

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Mostly?" He asked.

"Picking up debris: lots of it." The DRADIS Operator said, before he switched over to the Infrared Sensors "Heat Signals show signs of Battle... it hasn't been too long."

Ron looked at Jaden. "Let's hope it's not a Colonial ship." He said as he looked at the flight operator. "Send out a flight of Vipers and two Mobile Suits. Let's find out who they are."

A few minutes later, Four Vipers (Mk VIIIs) and a pair of Zaku IIF2 Types launched from their respective catapults: the Vipers from their launch tubes, the Mobile Suits from catapults built into the decks of the flight pods. Leading the Viper team was Captain Shinji 'Berserker' Ikari, a CCE pilot who got his callsign because pissing him off was a REALLY, REALLY bad idea. Ron learnt that the day he met the kid, as the younger boy broke three bones in an older man's left arm.

"Sydney, Berserker: we're two minutes out from the debris field." Shinji said.

A female sigh was heard "_And I'm bored already._"

"Asuka, PLEASE. Not now." Shinju said, as Lieutenant Asuka Langley 'Hellion' Sohryu, his number two and unofficial girlfriend, scoffed, but nodded. "_Copy._"

"_So, what's the deal with this debris field?_" Another voice asked.

"I don't know, Mari: that's why we're out here." Shinji said to Newbie number one and number three in the flight, regular fleet Ensign Mari Illustrious 'Bullhead' Makinami.

"_Captain Ikari is correct, Ensign: we should not question the Colonel's orders._" Oddest of the flight said, a CCE pilot named Ensign Rei 'Dollface' Ayanami. Unlike everyone else, she was born on a CCE ship, and was raised by the Corps, resulting in her stoic, nearly emotionless personality.

"_Shut up, suckup._"

"_Angel Flight, _Sydney _Actual: shut the hell up and get to work._" Ron shouted on the Comm.

"Understood, Colonel." They all said simultaneously, as they approached the debris field, and they saw something VERY odd.

"_Sydney_, Berserker: the debris...every piece of it are destroyed Cylon Raiders." Shinji said in surprise

"_ALL of it?_" Jaden Asked.

"Yes, sirs." Shinji confirmed "No Colonial debris."

"_Get back to the nest, RFN._" Ron ordered, "_We're sending a Raptor back to the fleet. For some reason, I think this is a good sign._" Asuka scoffed. "Colonel, how can this be a good sign?" She asked.

"_Cylon civil war, maybe?_"

"_Or maybe _Galactica _or _Pegasus _gave the Cylons a real Ass-whipping,_" Jaden also pointed out. "_Personally hoping it was _Galactica."

* * *

**117Jorn: And thats it! The fourth Chapter of Law for the Wolves!**

**Ron the True Fan: And now the moment we (or at least I) have been waiting for! (Looks at Jorn) How are you killing the Cavils this time?**

**117Jorn: *Looks at watch, tapping foot* Come on... where is she... I've got seven more Cavils that need killing *Doorbell rings* Ah! That must be her! *Walks away leaving Ron alone.***

**Ron the True Fan: (Looks at camera) Not to overuse a joke, but I've got a BAD feeling about this.**

***On the Camera, seven Cavils are rounded into the Airlock***

**117Jorn: *Walks back in, grinning* Just sit back and watch the show, Ron.**

***Both watch the Camera, as the door leading to the Airlock opens again. Stepping inside, was a figure wearing black Mark VI MJOLNIR Armor, cracking their knuckles and head***

**Tex: Well... who's first?**

**Ron the True Fan: (Looks as Jorn) You're insane. There's no guarantee she won't come after us next!**

**117Jorn: *Grins as Tex rips out a Cavil's skull and beats him to death with it* Yes there is! In exchange for killing the Cavils, I pay her a big amount of cash I saved up for such an occasion, **_**and **_**I promise her and the other RVB cast a cameo in the story. Not to mention I'm on good terms with them since we work together on 'We Dared'.**

**Ron the True Fan: Yeah, that saves YOUR ass. I screwed them over at least three times!**

**117Jorn: That's what the money's for, insurance she doesn't go after your ass!**

**Ron the True Fan:...I'd better get ready. I'll be back. Ja Ne, folks. (Leaves)**


	5. Chapter 5

**117Jorn: Wazzup people! 117Jorn and Ron the True Fan here once again with Chapter Five of Law for the Wolves!**

**Ron the True Fan: Good news: we find **_**Galactica **_**in this chapter. Bad news: we also find **_**Pegasus**_**. And in case any of you are wondering about the timeline? I took it from the Battlestar Wiki, and thanks to **_**The Plan**_**, it's official. And I'm safe from Tex.**

**117Jorn: Just as long as she and the RVB Cast gets into the fic at one point of course. So without further Adieu, let's get this thing started!**

* * *

_**175 Days after the Fall of the 12 Colonies - Battlestar **_**Sydney **_**CIC**_

* * *

Jaden entered the CIC of the _Sydney, _where Ron awaited for him "Alright, what do we got?" He asked, as he walked onto the CIC table.

"Raptor 109 was sent on a Recon Mission to these Coordinates," Ron said, as he pulled up the new Map Display on the screen, which showed a real-time image of space, much more accurate than the older displays past Battlestars used. "They picked up some DRADIS Contacts at position Three-One-Four, but needed to bug out before they were picked up. But before they did, they think they picked up Colonial Transponders."

Jaden blinked "Colonial?" He asked, "You think it could be _Galactica _or _Pegasus?_"

"Maybe," Ron said, "Or it could be the Cylons trying to trick us... but I have a feeling that's not the case."

"So, we're going in to investigate?" Jaden asked, and Ron nodded. "Yup," he said, "Just in case though, the _Mercury_ and the rest of the fleet are being assembled to jump to the Coordinates immediately if the _Pegasus _or _Galactica _is in fact there. If its Cylons, we bail."

Jaden nodded "Sounds like a plan," he said. "I'll get my Gouf Ready, and I'll launch after we make the Jump."

"I'll join you in the Delta Gundam." Ron said, "Be warned, though: they WILL shoot at you until you prove that you're human. Then again, if it's just _Pegasus_, shoot to kill."

"Maybe it's both." Jaden pointed out, and Ron smiled and chuckled. "You REALLY want to get yourself killed with that ambrosia, don't you, kid?" He said.

"I get the feeling I'll be fine." Jaden said, with a smirk.

Ron sighed as he decided to bring up a sore subject as both men left CIC. "Any more information from the Hybrid?"

Jaden sighed "No." He said, "That last line was the only thing involving my parents that the fucking thing said." The pair walked from CIC using Ron's shortcuts into the hanger, "For half of me and my brother and sisters lives, we've been wondering what happened to our parents... and now this Hybrid says it knows _something _about them..." he shook his head "How is that possible?" he asked, "What do my parents have to do with this whole thing? How are they involved with the _Cylons?_"

Ron shrugged as they reached the hangar, where they approached their respective machines. "If those two are out here, we'll find them Jaden." Ron said, "And then we'll get our answers. I promise."

* * *

**175 days after the Fall of the Colonies - airspace near Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**Fleet**

* * *

A pair of scarred Mk II Vipers, piloted by Captain Lee 'Apollo' Adama and Lieutenant Louanne 'Kat' Katraine, flew toward the mystery contact. "_Galactica_, Apollo: I'm out on course to the base star, Kat alongside me." Apollo said, "I estimate one minute till intercept."

"_Roger that, Apollo. Be advised, alert fighters have launched and will take station on your six in three minutes._"

Apollo nodded. But before he could respond to that, suddenly a surprise appeared right above their heads: a Battlestar just jumped in. The distortion knocked the Vipers off course, making both pilots curse. "FRAK!" He shouted "_Galactica_, Apollo: are you seeing this?!"

"_Apollo, _Galactica: _we see it._" Colonel Tigh said on the Comm, "Believing_ it, on the other hand..._"

"Captain Adama?" A familiar voice said, which caused Apollo to freeze. While he had only been at the academy for one year while he was there, Major Ronald 'Psycho' Pinkerton had nearly driven him nuts during mock dogfights. He went after Lee, especially.

"Oh, Gods, not YOU." He pleaded, while Ron just chuckled madly

"_How is that a welcome to an old teacher?_" Ron said while chuckling "Galactica, _this is Colonel Ronald Pinkerton, callsign Psycho, commanding officer of the Battlestar _Sydney."

The two pilots were stunned. Not only had the insane man survived, but somehow, someone promoted him! "Sydney, _this is _Galactica _Actual._" The voice of Commander William Adama said on the Comm "_Authenticate with ID codes, or you will be fired upon._"

"_Bill, I babysat for you and Carolynne when Zak was born._" Ron said, with a hint of mirth in his voice, "_Don't pull this shit with me_."

Lee blinked. "What?" He asked in surprise, before Commander Adama continued.

"_...Confirmed._" Adama said, with a long sigh with a bit of happiness in it "_Its... Its good to hear from you again, Ron. Where there any other survivors?_"

Ron chuckled a bit "_Plenty._" He said, "_A lot more people survived than you probably think Bill, and have I got one hell of a-_"

"_Uhh, Ron?_" A new voice that neither Apollo or Adama recognized, "_DRADIS picked up another contact.. Confirmed: its _Pegasus!"

Then they heard Ron scream. "**CAIN!**" He shouted, as Lee winced from the shout. "_Jaden, we've found the bitch! You're getting that bottle when we get back to the fleet!_"

"_Ron?_" Adama asked, "_What's-_"

"_Not enough time to explain, Bill,_" Ron said, "_But stay back for this one, all you need to know is that Rear Admiral Helena Cain committed SEVERAL War Crimes against Colonial citizens after the Fall, and we're going to bring her in!_"

Before Adama or even Apollo could retort to that, the Viper Pilots watched as just then two large humanoid machines launched from the _Sydney_, heading for the mystery contact.

"What the frak?!" Apollo shouted, as he looked on his DRADIS, but saw both machines gave off Colonial IFF, but unless Ron had been screwing around, those weren't Colonial. "_Galactica_, you're not going to believe this." He said "Two giant Cylons just took off from _Sydney's _port pod." Then he looked at the DRADIS screen. the contact was now IDed as the Battlestar _Pegasus_. The massive _Mercury_-Class Battlestar turned toward _Pegasus_. All of her weapons were armed, and she was launching more giant Cylons and all of her Vipers.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Pegasus **_**- CIC**

* * *

Helena Cain watched the DRADIS in confusion. The ship that just jumped in was Colonial: IFF confirmed that. "What the hell?" She muttered as she looked at Fisk. "They're in attack formation. Why the hell are they targeting us?"

Louis Hoshi looked at his CO. "Admiral, lead ship is hailing us." he said, as Cain picked up the phone. "This is Admiral Cain."

"_Well, well, the bitch herself answers the phone._" Cain blinked before her eyes narrowed. "What? Who are you?" She demanded, "Identify yourself!"

"_I am Lieutenant Commander Jaden Takeo, of the Swords of Freedom organization Scrap Vultures!_" The voice replied, before another, far more familiar voice spoke.

"_And you know me all too well, Cain._" It said, and Cain's eyes widened. She knew the second speaker's voice: Ronald Pinkerton, field marshal of the Colonial Corps of Engineers. "What the hell are you-"

"_Admiral Cain, you are under arrest for the following: murder, piracy and multiple counts of attempted mass murder!_" Ron shouted, before Jaden spoke next.

"_You have the right to remain silent, and anything you say can and will be used against you in the Court of law!"_ he said, "_You have the right to an attorney, and if you cannot afford an Attorney... then tough luck for you!_"

Ron sighed "_You watch too much of that Law and Order show, Jaden,_" he said, before his voice turned serious again "_Stand down and prepare to be boarded!_"

Cain stood her ground, but she had a feeling that she was screwed. "On what grounds, Major?" She growled.

"_That's _Colonel_._" Ron snapped, "_And we found that fleet you stripped down. Saved them from the Cylons. And they told us ALL about what you did!_"

Cain still had a stone face, "It needed to be done to continue our fight against the Cylons," she said before she smirked, "And how do you plan to take me in, _Colonel?_"

"_Well, we can either do it the easy way, or the hard way Bitch!_" Jaden shouted, "_And we can go either way Cain!_"

"You and what army?" Cain announced, and there was a long pause... followed by both Jaden and Ron cackling, before laughing out loud which gave her a feeling of... unease.

"_Us, and THIS ARMY!_" Ron shouted, and then suddenly their DRADIS began going crazy, as they began detecting ship, after ship, after ship jumping into the area. And outside, hundreds of Vessels, Battlestars, and otherwise, arrived in the battle area. And topping them all off were nearly a dozen Colony Cylinders and unidentified vessels. And unless DRADIS were mistaken, there were two _Cylon Basestars _in the formation too!

Cain dropped the phone as her eyes widened. She was _**dead**_ if they stayed. "Jump the ship!" She shouted, as Fisk looked at his CO. "Ma'am-"

"I will not surrender this ship to that man!" She ordered.

"Ma'am, we need 10 minutes to calculate a jump," Fisk said, "And we need to spool up the drives, not to mention Pinkerton built this ship: he can disable it."

"Then put in a Random Jump!" Cain shouted, ignoring the fact that none of the drives were spooled up, "Just get us-" Suddenly, the _Pegasus_ rocked from weapons fire. "What the hell was that?!" She shouted, as Consoles started sparking as the ship started drifting. At her post, Kendra Shaw got up and checked the computers themselves. "Sir, the computers are fried." She said, "We can't jump, we can't shoot back and we can't launch any Vipers to support Red Team!" Cain looked at her once-aide in horror.

* * *

**Airspace near BSG-62 Pegasus**

* * *

Jaden and Ron in their respective Mobile Suits, the Gouf AR Type and Delta Gundam, flew underneath the _Pegasus_ where they opened fire upon the 'Soft Spot' Ron had indicated with a portable Mega Particle Cannon which took out the vessel's primary systems. Now all that was left were the Vipers they had already launched.

"You don't think they'll be stupid enough to fight us, with the entire fleet here, do you?" Jaden asked Ron, who scoffed. "_This is CAIN we're talking about_." He said, "_Besides, I don't want to fight them at all. Good thing our Vipers, Raptors and shuttles are Minovsky-proof._"

Jaden realized that while Ron hated Cain with a flaming passion, (as did everyone else in the Fleet) that the pilots on _Pegasus _were valuable. "Sydney, _Psycho: fire mega particle cannons._" Ron ordered, as two of the 20 new dorsal cannons targeted the general area around the Mk VIIs. In his cockpit, Red Squadron leader and _Pegasus _CAG Captain Cole 'Stinger' Taylor looked at the cannons and paled. "_Uh, sir?_" He asked, looking at Lieutenant Marcia 'Showboat' Case's Viper. "_I don't like the look of this_." She said, and Stinger nodded. "_Neither do I, but-_" The cannons fired two shots each, missing them by half a kilometer, but EVERY Viper that _Pegasus _just launched lost power.

Jaden laughed at the sight. "Poor bastards." he said within his Laugh, as Ron began issuing orders once again "_Raptor Team, you know the plan._" He said, "_Jaden, follow me. It's time we brought in Cain and her elite lackeys._" The Delta Gundam transformed and Jaden grabbed onto it as Ron accelerated toward _Pegasus_.

The plan was simple: misdirection. While Cain would be sending in her Marines to stop the large force that would land on the port flight pod, Ron and Jaden would go in from the other direction with a smaller strike force of 6 men, not including themselves. They would bring Cain in personally and take control of the ship.

Both Mobile Suits landed in the hanger, followed by one Raptor. Stealth was the name of the game until they reached Cain. After that, the name of the game turned into Shoot the Living Shit out of ANYTHING and Capture the Bitch Alive. Simple. Not so simple to do.

Jaden took out his UMP45 and the beam G36K, as well as securing his combat knife and spare clips. He got out of the black and red Gouf, and Ron exited the golden Delta Gundam as the Marines from _Sydney_ (a mix of Federation ECOAS, ex-Zeon marines from SOF and Colonial Marines) exited from the Raptor. "Quick question, kid." Ron asked as Jaden looked at him and nodded. "Shoot."

"Why the hell is the Delta Gundam GOLD?" Ron asked, glancing back at the Delta Gundam "I mean, it yells FLASHY."

"It's the anti-beam coating." Jaden said with a shrug, "And it carried down to its descendant unit the Hyaku Shiki, Don't ask me: I didn't pick the color."

"Just curious." Ron stated as they started bypassing the security systems on the airlock.

"Why ask me that NOW of all times?" Jaden asked in return.

Ron shrugged "Takes the edge off the nervousness." He said, "Ask seemingly unimportant questions, get answers. Gets your mind off of the fact that we've got a boat full of bloodthirsty Marines on the other side of the hatch."

Jaden just looked at his friend and shook his head. "Why did you have to bring that up?" He asked.

"You asked." Ron said with a smirk as he opened the hatch. "Move, people: Cain's got to have people trying to fix this ship's security system!" Everyone entered the airlock and quickly shut the hatch.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Pegasus **_**- CIC**

* * *

Cain was pissed off. RIGHTEOUSLY pissed off. "I want Pinkerton's head on a pike!" She shouted "DO YOU HEAR ME?! ON A PIKE!" Everyone bobble-nodded to avoid the wrath of their eternally-PMSing CO.

Shaw looked up from one of the phones. "Sir, Marines are reporting that a large strike force has boarded the ship." She said, "All of them are Colonial Marines."

Cain snarled. "Tell the reaction teams to kill the bastards!" She demanded "Pull every Marine to stop them!"

"Yes, sir!" Shaw said as she moved to issue the orders as Fisk paled. "Sir, if we try to defend this ship, we will lose." He said, "Those aren't just any Marines: they're Colonel Corps of Engineers Marines. They know everything about this ship!"

Cain looked at Shaw. "Captain, get to Aft Damage Control." She said, "Blow the decompression safeties and kill them."

Shaw, loyal to the last, saluted and ran off. "I will not surrender to that bastard." Cain said, "I WILL take command of that fleet and I WILL continue our war against the Cylons!"

Fisk, having long come to the conclusion that Cain was even CRAZIER than Ronald Pinkerton, didn't respond. After all, he didn't want to get a bullet to the brain like his predecessor, Colonel Jurgen Belzen, did 6 months before.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Pegasus **_**- near Aft Damage Control**

* * *

Ron chuckled. "Cain may be a smart girl, but she's not as smart as us." He said, as they moved through the ship quickly and silently. However Ron signalled his team to take cover, which they did quickly and quietly as a _Pegasus_ officer approached them. Ron knew this one: Lieutenant Kendra Shaw, daughter of Quorum delegate Marta Shaw. And Cain's aide.

Ron signalled that they were taking her down. The Marines, in cover and out of sight in the darkened halls, signalled they were ready. Shaw walked right into their trap, as Jaden grabbed her and covered her mouth. Ron pointed his normal G36K, which had an attached bayonet to it, at her throat. "You shut up, or I gut you. Clear?" Ron growled.

Razor or not, Shaw wanted to LIVE, so she nodded. "Good." he said, as he pinched a nerve in the back of her neck, knocking her out from the pain. "Tie her up, leave her here." He ordered, and one of the Marines took Shaw and bound her tightly. She was going nowhere.

"What was she going to do?" Jaden asked curiously.

Ron shrugged "She was heading for ADC." He said, "Knowing Cain, she ordered her to unlock the decompression safeties and kill our people."

Jaden's eyes widened "Wait, but that would've killed her Marines, too!" He nearly shouted, "And it wouldn't even do a thing to us! We're all in Normal Suits!"

Ron scoffed. "I think Cain has finally lost her mind." He muttered, "See, people like you and me, we're insane, but sane enough to know it, and still have our own morals. Cain? Cain took a fraking NOSEDIVE."

Jaden grimly chuckled at Ron's analogy, before they moved on.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- CIC**

* * *

Adama and his command staff, plus Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace, President Laura Roslin and his son/CAG, Lee, looked at the DRADIS in confusion. "Commander, I know for a fact that the Colonial Fleet, before the Fall of the Colonies, did NOT have that many ships." Laura said, "Where did Colonel Pinkerton get them?"

Tigh looked at the DRADIS. "_Zeus_ and her sisters... _Vulture_. _Athena_... Those are CCE." He said.

Roslin, who had no clue about the military, looked at Tigh. "CCE?" She asked.

Adama answered for her. "Colonial Corps of Engineers." He said, "They build and maintain military ships of all sizes, develop new weapons and train every knuckledragger in the Fleet. They have more Battlestars and Ships than even the Fleet itself, even after the first war. Since they were not technically part of the Colonial Military, they did not fall under the President's jurisdiction so they didn't have to reduce their fleet strength the slightest. Chief Tyrol was once trained by then-Major Pinkerton, for example."

Lee chuckled. "He pulled a stint at the Fleet Academy for three years." He said, "Kicked my ass so thoroughly that mentioning his callsign gives me nightmares."

Roslin looked at the DRADIS. "And those other ships?" She asked, "Those don't look Colonial in design at all."

Before Adama could answer, Felix Gaeta ran over. "Sir, we've got a wireless link with the flagship of the second fleet: Commander Sasha Urei." He said.

Adama blinked. "Sasha?" He asked, "She's CO of the _Mercury_."

"And that's the flagship." Gaeta said, as Adama looked at Roslin. "I'll get her on the horn." He said, as he picked up the phone. "_Mercury_, this is _Galactica _Actual."

"Galactica _Actual, this is _Mercury _Actual,_" Sasha's voice came in on the Comm, as she sighed happily "_Adama, thank the gods we finally found you! We tried contacting you after the colonies fell before we headed to Ragnar, but there was too much interference. Its good to see you and _Galactica _are alright._"

Adama remembered the VERY scrambled wireless call just before they jumped to Ragnar. "That was you?" He asked.

"_Yes,_" Sasha responded, "_We were going to meet up with you there, but we were sidetracked in saving civilians we found with the help of CCE. By the time we reached Ragnar, you were gone with your fleet here. Since then we've been looking for you and _Pegasus."

"Commander, this is President Laura Roslin." The President said, "Why are you after _Pegasus_?"

Sasha let a small grown echo in the Comms "_Its more or less Cain we're after, Madam President,_" She said, "_After the fall of the Colonies, Cain ordered her forces to strip 15 Civilian Ships of their FTL, and any supplies they needed, leaving them for dead! And on top of that, she abducted multiple individuals who she thought would be 'of value' to her little war with the Cylons. And anyone who didn't comply had their family's executed. Ten People on the _Scylla _were killed as an example!_"

This had an effect on all of _Galactica's _CIC staff. Gaeta looked like he was going to puke. Tigh looked ashamed. (he had pulled something akin to this three months back on the _Gideon_) Starbuck and Apollo shook their heads. Roslin dropped the phone in shock. And Adama? He was FURIOUS. "What are you going to do with her, Commander?" He asked with barely contained fury.

"_We capture Cain, and have her answer for what she's done._" Sasha said, "_Which will undoubtedly result in her execution... Ron and Jaden have been debating _what t_he execution will be, though. Torn between Spacing her or Firing Squad... or doing both. But our primary objective right now is securing the _Pegasus, _and capturing Cain, alive._"

Adama nodded. "If there is anything we can so to help, Commander, please ask." He said, "I will give you my support." He then blinked. "Who is Jaden? And where did all those ships come from? I can tell most of them are CCE... but some of the ships DRADIS don't even recognises."

Sasha chuckled a bit "_Don't worry Adama, we'll explain once we have Cain and everything quiets down._" she said, "_Just tell your pilots that the huge Humanoid Machines are _not _Cylons, their piloted by Humans. And as for Jaden... remember when we thought Ron was as crazy and one-of-a-kind as they come?_"

"Yeah?"

"_We were wrong." _Sasha said, _"Lieutenant Commander Jaden Takeo is just as, if not more Crazy than Ron._"

Everyone paled at the thought of there being TWO men as crazy as Ronald Pinkerton. Starbuck, who was _Galactica's _resident lunatic, spoke the words on everyone's minds. "We are fraking screwed." Apollo and Tigh nodded. Yet another sign that the end times were coming. Again.

* * *

**Battlestar Pegasus - Just outside CIC**

* * *

"And this, ladies and gentlemen, is a classic sign of being absolutely insane." Ron whispered, as he and the Marine Teams stood just outside CIC, watching Cain shoot out Orders "Cain has left CIC WIDE OPEN." There were only two Marines in CIC.

This was a mistake that reminded Jaden of the Fall of Berlin during World War II, and Hitler issuing orders to non-existent troops. He cocked his UMP45 as quietly as he could. "Remember, flesh wounds only: we want to AVOID killing anyone." Ron said, "Copasetic?" The Marines nodded. "Copasetic, Colonel."

Ron aimed his G36K at the Marine at the entrance and fired two rounds into him. One hit the right arm, right in the elbow, and the other hit the opposite elbow. The poor bastard fell on his knees. Cain looked at her Razors in shock. "How the frak-" She began, before Jaden threw a stun grenade into CIC. It exploded, stunning the only remaining Marine (who was taken down by an ex-Zeon Marine) and the staff in CIC.

Ron bull rushed Cain, knocking her on her ass. The older Colonel took her FN Five-SeveN and placed it on the plotting table. "You were saying something about us not taking your ship, Cain?" Ron asked with a smirk as Cain snarled, but Ron put her into the sleeper hold and knocked her out. This would be the last time she would fall unconscious as a Colonial Fleet officer.

Jaden knocked Fisk onto the plotting table as the Marines secured Cain. Ron looked at Fisk. "Lt. Colonel Fisk." Ron said "Where is Colonel Belzen?" Fisk looked at the gun. Ron realized it. "Well, looks like I can add killing an officer in cold blood to the list of charges." Jaden looked at Ron. "What?!" He asked shocked "She killed her XO." Ron growled "Fraking bitch shot him."

He shoved the phone into Fisk's hands. "Tell the _Pegasus _Marines to stand down." Ron snapped "That's an order."

Fisk, fearing for his life like he did 6 months before, put it to his ear. "This is the XO!" He shouted "All hands, stand down! It's over!" Ron clubbed the former third in command of _Pegasus _over the head, knocking him out. He looked at Hoshi. "Ensign Louis Hoshi, right?" Hoshi looked at the man. "You...you remember me?" He asked in surprise.

"Last year in the Academy." Ron said, "One of the best communications officers I've ever taught. Get on the horn to _Mercury_." Hoshi got to work, then nodded. "You're on, sir." He said, and Ron put the phone to his ear.

"_Mercury_, this is _Pegasus _Actual. _Pegasus _is secured: repeat, _Pegasus _is secured, Cain is in custody."

Sasha's voice sounded angelic. "_Wonderful news, Colonel_!" She said, _"Get on a Raptor and head back to _Mercury_: we are going to pay the new Fleet Admiral a visit_." Ron smiled. "Yes, ma'am!" He said and hung the phone up. "Jaden, we're going to _Galactica_."

Jaden smiled "Finally!" He said, "Guess I'm finally gonna meet this Commander Adama guy you keep telling me-" Jaden didn't finish the sentence, as suddenly he... he _felt _something. He felt a sudden wave of Agony, pain, and unbelievable sadness causing his entire body to stiffen. "T-The hell...?" he Muttered, as his hands moved to his head shaking uncontrollably.

Ron gripped his shoulders, steadying him. "Kid, are you ok?" He asked, not knowing what was wrong with his friend.

"Colonel! Commander!" A Marine from _Athena_ ran in. "We found something in the brig."

Ron looked at her. "Like what?" He asked

"Uh...you should just see it, sirs." The Marine said, and Ron could see the look on her face was one mixed with disgust and horror "It's not pretty."

Ron looked at Hoshi. "Tell _Mercury_ Actual that we're going to be delayed slightly." He said,

"Aye, sir." Hoshi said. Jaden soon got control of himself once again, before Jaden and Ron followed the Marine, Jaden still clutching his head a bit.

"We were going to secure the Marines we captured," She said, "But then they started laughing. We asked why, then we found out why."

They eventually entered the brig, and when they reached one of the Cells, Jaden took a step back in horror, while Ron's rage boiled at what he saw. A Six, chained and collared, badly beaten and if he wasn't mistaken, repeatedly and brutally raped. "Who the hell did this?" He roared, "I know Cain probably ordered it, but that is no-"

She checked a list. "A Lieutenant Alastair Thorne, sir." She said, "Listed only as 'Cylon interrogator'."

"Find him. His ass now belongs to me." Ron growled "Do you understand me, Sergeant?"

"Yes, sir." She said as she quickly turned to leave. "And get a medical team from _Sydney_!" He shouted, "I want her alive, stabilized and OFF THIS SHIP! Cain is going to PAY for this! Cylon or not, rape is UNFORGIVABLE!"

He looked at Jaden. "Looks like our sweet victory celebration quickly soured, huh?" He asked, as Jaden nodded a bit before he clutched his head again, seemingly in more pain than before.

Ron sat him down on the deck. "Are you alright?" He asked a bit worriedly "I mean, I know this is wrong is EVERY sense of the word-"

"I SENSED her." Jaden said suddenly, causing Ron to blink in surprise. "Huh?" he asked.

"I sensed her." Jaden said, shaking his head "Like Kamille Bidan did during the last battle of the Gryps War, or Amuro during A Bao A Qu."

Ron realized what he was talking about. "Newtype senses." He muttered, and Jaden looked at him in surprise. "What? I read. If you sensed her, that means either her suffering is just _that _great and you felt it or-"

"Or my own Newtype powers are awakening." Jaden fished, and Ron winced. "We've got a lot of angry, resentful people in both the fleets, Jaden." He warned, "And if you're right, you are going to BATHE in that hate." He then sighed as he put a hand on Jaden's shoulder "I know this is not going to be helpful at all, but try not to breathe it in." Ron sighed again and slumped onto the deck. "Fraking great." He muttered "I want to help you, but I can't do shit. Gods, I feel wrong."

Jaden took a few deep breaths, before he smiled a bit at Ron "Hey... it's the thought that counts," he muttered, causing Ron to bark out a laugh. "But its good advice either way... don't worry Ron... I'll just do my best."

At that moment, a medical team rushed in and got the Six out of there as quickly and painlessly as they could. "Be careful with her." Ron said, "She's been abused and tortured. If you can, get D'Anna to help."

"Aye, sir." The lead Medic said, "Come on, let's get her to the Raptor! Move, move move!" They got her on the gurney and left. Ron looked at his friend. "Let's get back to _Mercury_." He said, "Commander Urei's waiting for us."

* * *

**1 hour later - **

**Raptor 419 - Inbound flight to Battlestar **_**Galactica**_

* * *

Ron, Sasha and Jaden, as well as a squad of Honor Guard Marines, sat in the Raptor. Ron and Sasha wore their Colonial dress uniforms (Sasha was in regular Fleet Navy Blue while Ron was in CCE Midnight Blue) and Jaden wore a red Zeon Captain's dress uniform. He felt kind of out of place: they were wearing blue and he was in red.

"Relax, kid." Ron said as he looked at him. "Admiral Adama's going to ask questions, but not in front of his people. After all the cheering's done and over with, he'll ask us to join us in his quarters to talk."

Jaden looked at Ron. "You keep calling him Admiral, but he's still a Commander." He pointed out.

Sasha ended the argument before it could start. "Because I consider him Fleet Admiral, so does the Colonel." She said, "Besides, we both think the man deserves it. He was shafted for 10 years, stuck at Commander before being put on _Galactica _to retire. Out of any of us, he is the best man for the Job alive."

Jaden chuckled a little. "I guess he does." he said, as a voice sounded on the Comm.

"_Raptor 419,_ Galactica: _You are clear to land._" Swallow landed the Raptor on the deck. "_Galactica_, Raptor 419: maglocks secured." She said.

"_Roger that, Raptor 419. Welcome aboard, Commander Urei._"

Ron smiled gently. "Relax." He said, and Jaden took in a few calming breaths as the Raptor entered the hanger. The Raptor was surrounded by people: officers, deckhands, even three people in suits. Sasha glowered at one of them. "Ron..." She whispered as She looked at him briefly. "Is that Baltar?"

Ron looked out the window, and his eyes narrowed "Indeed, it IS Gaius Baltar." He said, and Jaden blinked.

"Wait... you mean that guy who made half of the CNP?" He asked for confirmation as they nodded.

"Indeed..." Sasha said, before she smirked "I almost pity the man now... _almost._ he has no idea how Screwed he's going to be soon."

"Oh, I'm going to ENJOY this." Ron said almost giddy as he looked at the Marines. "As soon as all the formal crap is done, take the bastard with the glasses that isn't wearing a Colonial uniform down."

The hatch opened, and the Marines got out first, followed by Ron, who looked at Baltar and smiled that evil smile. Baltar, coward that he was, flinched. Jaden followed suit, and last off the Raptor was Sasha. All three stood on the Raptor's wing and saluted, with Jaden only following Ron's lead. "Sir! Permission to come aboard?!" Sasha asked, as Adama looked at her. "Permission granted, Commander." He said, and All three stepped off the wing. Sasha reached into her pocket, then walked toward Adama. _Galactica's _Marines raised their weapons.

Sasha eyed them as she pulled her hand out of her pocket and revealed that she had the Fleet Admiral's rank pins taken from Nagala's uniform. "Sir, I believe these are yours." She said, as Roslin and Tigh looked at the Admiral's stars in surprise. Adama himself looked her in the eye.

"You are my superior in experience." Sasha answered the unasked question "That means you are my superior in rank, as well." Adama smiled a bit grimly, as he accepted the rank pins as he pocketed the Admiral's stars, accepting the Commander's surrender of command. "On behalf of the officers and crew of the Battlestar _Galactica_, welcome back to the Colonial Fleet, Commander Urei!" He said.

"Good, now that THAT is over with..." Ron said as he whistled. The Marines jumped Baltar, tackling him to the ground. Adama and Roslin looked at the sight before looking at Ron and Sasha. "It's a LONG story, Admiral." Tigh looked at Baltar as the Marines manhandled him and chuckled. "Hope it's a good one, because you just ordered those men to attack the Vice-President of the Colonies."

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- Admiral Adama's quarters - **

**15 minutes later**

* * *

Ron breathed in through his nose. "WONDERFUL." He said, as Everyone looked at Ron strangely. Well, Adama didn't. He just shook his head. "Ron, the air is recycled." He said and Ron scoffed. "Just because YOU can't smell it doesn't mean I can't." He said.

Jaden looked at Adama. "Commander-" He began, but a quick glare from Sasha allowed him to quickly correct himself. "Admiral, what do you mean?"

"Like me, Ron's first assignment in Fleet service was _Galactica_." Adama explained, "He always claimed the ship had a pleasant smell. Everyone else just thinks he's crazy. Which he is."

Ron smiled. "Well, what have you guys been up to lately?" He said, "We kept finding blown up Cylon ships and bases-"

Adama chuckled. "Like our handiwork, Colonel?" He asked, and Sasha gaped. "That was YOU, sir?" She asked, "But _Galactica's_ underarmed, only has, what, less then 40 Vipers left-"

Ron answered with an exact number. "36. I counted on the flight deck." He said.

Sasha nodded "36 Vipers," she corrected. "How did you do it?"

"All credit where it's due." Adama said, "Kara Thrace and my son. She came up with the operation, he executed it."

Ron chuckled. "Thrace. I WONDERED how it happened." he said, "She's the only Colonial that's even _remotely _as crazy as me."

"And _that _is scary..." Sasha muttered, before turning back to Adama "Still, sir... I still find it amazing you've made it so far in the _Galactica._ The fact you're still alive with the ship will boost the morale among the Colonials considerably. Maybe enough for us to find Earth."

"That brings up another question." Adama said as he looked at Jaden. "I've never seen that uniform before. It's not CCE, or else Ron would be wearing it. The amount of ships in your fleet doesn't make sense, even including any survivors of the regular fleet and CCE. Who are they and where are they from, Commander?"

Sasha sighed, as she looked at Jaden who nodded before she spoke again "Admiral... you're not going to believe this, but its the truth." She said, "But Lieutenant Commander Takeo here, and the rest of his friends from the Swords of Freedom and the EFSF... are from Earth."

There were three reactions. Roslin fainted. Ron got a quick laugh at that. Tigh left, presumably to get absolutely wasted. Again. And Adama looked sceptical. Could you blame him, though?

"Commander Urei, no offence to Commander Takeo, but are you sure he's not a Cylon?" Adama asked, however Ron held up a hand.

"We've seen seven models and know of six more:" Ron said, "Five hidden, one destroyed. I ran his blood work against five of my people, including myself. He's as human as human can get. And while there are some differences, that's because he was born on a different planet. A Picon and a Caprican will always have different salt levels, for example."

"Seven, with one destroyed and five hidden?" Adama asked "Where are you getting your information?"

Sasha decided to elaborate "About three months ago, we successfully captured a Cylon Baseship," she said. "And during the fall, we captured a large piece of another Baseship. With them, we have learned much about the Cylons. Among the things we have learned are than their Baseships are mostly Organic, like their Raiders. And we have also identified the primary seven Humanoid Cylons. We also discovered what the Cylon's call a 'Hybrid', as it turns out all Cylon Basestars are commanded by a Half-human half Machine being called a Hybrid. Although it seems to speak cryptically, we have deciphered what it meant." She glanced at Jaden, who nodded as he spoke next.

"I was on the Baseship when we captured it, and the Hybrid." He said, "And I was also part of an Interrogation Session with Ron when we interrogated a Number One Cylon. We discovered there are 13 Humanoid Cylons, but now there are only 12. It turns out that one of the Number One Models killed the entire Number Seven line of Cylons out of jealousy for some reason. And we also learned that there are five more Humanoid Cylons called 'The Final Five'."

Ron took over. "Four of the five are in your Fleet." He said, "All of them are sleeper agents, so don't blame them if they suddenly 'wake up'. The fifth is on Caprica."

Adama looked at Ron. "Are you sure?" He asked.

"As sure as you are that I'm as insane as anyone could get." He said, and Adama looked at Roslin as she woke up. "We have our own Cylon prisoner on board." He said.

Adama's eyes narrowed a bit "Another version of Boomer." He said lowly.

Ron noticed that Adama sounded pissed. "What happened?" He asked.

"She put two holes in me." Adama said, and Everyone gaped. "Boomer SHOT YOU?" Ron asked surprised as Jaden sighed. "Just like D'Anna." He muttered, and Adama looked at Jaden with an alarmed look.

"D'Anna? As in D'Anna Biers?!" He asked, and Jaden nodded as Adama stood up, walked to the hatch, opened it and looked at the Marines outside. "Find D'Anna Biers. NOW!" He ordered both Marines and they ran off.

Jaden looked at Adama. "What are you going to do?" He asked, as Adama glanced back at him. "Airlock her. What else?" He said and Adama quickly left, heading for CIC.

Ron sighed. "The Fleet's D'Anna did something BAD." He muttered, as Jaden looked at him "Like what?" He asked.

Ron looked at the book on Adama's desk. "Ron, NO." Sasha warned, but he ignored her and picked it up. Jaden then realized it was _Galactica's_ logbook. "Huh. Looks like D'Anna (theirs, not ours) is the reporter from before the Fall." He said, "Made several newscasts speaking against Roslin's presidency and Tigh's actions while the Old Man was recovering. Not much, but she IS a Cylon. Sewing discontent throughout the Fleet is their Modus Operandi. Saves them the work."

He closed the book and placed it back on the desk. He looked at Jaden. "Find your D'Anna, make SURE she's safe." He said, "When the Old Man's pissed, NOTHING survives his wrath."

"W-What about the other D'Anna?" Jaden asked, "I mean... we can't just _let _him airlock her, right? I mean, what if a Resurrection Ship isn't within range?"

Ron sighed. "Jaden, there's a Resurrection Ship in the fleet after _Galactica_." He said, "She'll live. After she dies. Frak, that's confusing!"

"I know, but..." Jaden sighed, "It doesn't seem right to just flat out kill someone like that, even if they resurrect like the Human Cylons can."

"Never said I agreed with the airlocking." Ron said, "But Adama's got a point. What she was doing would've splintered the Fleet, turned it against _Galactica_. And if there's anything we need right now..." He sighed. "It's unity."

"But, can't we just imprison her, put her under custody?" Jaden asked, "We have proof she's a Cylon that we can show the people of _Galactica's_ fleet if they don't believe us!"

"Then go stop the Admiral." Ron said, "If you really believe that she deserves to be saved, go convince the Admiral before it's too late."

Jaden nodded "I will," he said, before he quickly moved to follow Adama and keep him from Airlocking the D'Anna of their fleet. He used his general knowledge of a Battlestar's layout that Ron had taught him to find CIC. As he arrived, he quickly found Adama and Tigh there. "Admiral!" He spoke as Adama looked at him from the plotting table. "Sir, we don't need to kill her. Give her to us. We'll lock her in the brig."

Adama growled slightly. "The only way I am letting her stay alive is if I put her on the _Astral Queen_." He said, "Let Zarek and his cronies deal with her."

Jaden was confused. "_Astral Queen?_" He asked as Tigh answered Jaden's question. "It's the Fleet's prison ship." He said, "The man in charge of the fraking thing is Tom Zarek, a fraking terrorist. And he hates Cylons as much as we do."

Jaden looked horrified. "Admiral, please. Don't do this." He pleaded, "Give her to me and Ron. I can guarantee she won't be able to do anything!"

Adama looked at the younger man, with an inspecting look. "You're naive." He muttered before he sighed, "Very so, Commander. But if you want her, fine. She's all yours. But my Marines WILL kill her if her resists. And from what I've seen..." He looked at Tigh. "She WILL resist. Now, if you'll excuse me."

He picked up the phone. "Colonel Pinkerton to CIC." He ordered, and Jaden sighed. He won a victory. A small one, but a victory. He just prayed that the Fleet's D'Anna didn't do anything stupid and pull out a gun.

Ron arrived in CIC less then a minute later. "How the hell do you do that?" Jaden asked, wondering how he got there quicker than he had.

Ron smiled. "_Jupiters_ are smaller than _Mercuries_. Plus, I know the ship inside and out better than the men who built her." He approached the plotting table as Jaden left. "Admiral, you wanted to see me?"

Adama nodded. "Yes. Some of your people raided Cain's quarters and found these photos." He said, as he handed Ron some photos.

Ron looked at them one by one "Cain's obsession: kill the Cylons, make them pay, blah, blah, blah." He muttered, as Adama looked at the Colonel. "Can you identify these ships?" He asked.

Ron nodded as he looked at the photos again, and pointed at the images. "Two Baseships, half a dozen support ships, ranging from Centurion and Raider production plants to a tylium refinery and..." He continued before Ron's eyes widened. "Oh, boy."

Adama found what Ron was looking at: a church shaped (the USAF Academy Church, if you REALLY thought about it) ship. "Sir, that's a Resurrection Ship."

Tigh looked at him, not liking the implications. "Resurrection?" He asked, before Ron explained "When a Cylon dies, their mind-"

"Gets transferred into a new body." Adama finished, and the older Colonel looked at the slightly younger (by five years) Admiral. "At Ragnar, we found a Cylon that called himself Leoben."

"Let me guess: tried to get into your head?" Ron asked, and Adama nodded. "Yes, but he failed because the radiation from Ragnar's storms was frying his own." He said, "I killed him with a flashlight."

Ron smiled. "Ah, you gave him the Husker Treatment." He said, referring to the many times that Adama had either shot or beaten the living shit out of a Cylon. "Moving on. We're too far from the Cylon homeworld for the normal downloading process to work, which is why they built these ships."

Tigh's eyes widened. "Ships? As in plural: more then one?"

"Yes, Tigh, I said ships." Ron confirmed "The _Prometheus_ destroyed one posthumously when she was destroyed, her debris ramming into one destroying it. It's part of the reason we still have so many ships, the Cylons were scared of going on suicide raids without these ships nearby."

Adama nodded. "We destroy it and the Cylons go away." He said, before Ron grinned pointing a finger up.

"Better idea." He said, as both men looked at Ron. "If we destroy it, then they leave us alone for a while until they get a new one. But if we CAPTURE it, they leave us alone. Period."

Tigh gaped. "That's insane!" He shouted, but Adama looked at the Resurrection ship, and nodded "That's why it's going to work." He said, and both Colonels looked at Adama in surprise.

"Sir?" Tigh asked, as it sounded like Adama was going crazy.

"Crazy plans seem to be the best ones, Saul." Adama pointed out "Starbuck's plan to destroy the Cylon base worked."

"Barely!" Tigh retorted, "We lost 3 Vipers in that operation!"

"Now we can recover and counterattack." Adama said, "Colonel Pinkerton, coordinate with Lieutenant Thrace and Captain Adama: begin forming plans to capture that ship."

Ron grinned as he saluted and left CIC. Tigh sighed as he looked at the Admiral "Bill, I know he's a friend-"

"He's crazy. I know." Adama said, "But I think crazy is going to save our lives. I'm going to _Mercury_ and talk with Commander Urei. Colonel Tigh, the ship is yours." Adama left CIC, heading for the flight deck. Tigh resisted pulling out his flask. "FRAK." He growled.

The phone buzzed and Tigh picked it up. "Combat." He said.

"_Sir, we have Biers in custody._" One of the Marines said, "_She's wounded, but alive: tried pulling a gun on us._" Tigh smiled. Bitch got what was coming to her in his eyes after the smear job she tried to do on him three months before.

"Get her on _Mercury_." He said, "Pinkerton and his new friend want her. Let them take her off our hands."

"Aye, sir."

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Mercury **_**- port flight pod**

* * *

D'Anna (wearing a CCE uniform given to her by Ron) walked past the knuckledraggers. They weren't trying to kill her a'la Cally, but that was mostly because no one was paying attention to her. Adden Smith, Nagala's former aide, had surprisingly forgiven her for her attempted killing of him simply because her programming kicked in and made her do it. He's seen what she had been doing to help the Colonials and Terrans, and knows she wanted to make up for what she did.

The rest of _Atlantia's _crew...not so much. It would take a LONG time for them to forgive her, which was why Ron and Sasha were shipping them off to _Galactica _to bolster their numbers. She was glad she didn't have to worry about that at least.

She turned around, and she saw a Raptor was being wheeled in. And when she saw who was in it, she gulped "Oh, shit." She muttered, as it was Admiral Adama, who was going to meet with Sasha.

The hatch opened and he stepped out, not before looking at her. The cold glare he sent her way caused her to stiffen, and gulp again. However Adama saw that she was in a CCE uniform, and scowled before he walked away, knowing better than to screw with people under Ron's command.

The last time someone did that, they disappeared in a VERY old Raptor.

"Why do I get the feeling that I was lucky?" D'Anna muttered to herself.

Back with Adama, he walked through the ship, escorted by two Marines who led him to CIC. In CIC, Zane spotted the Admiral and saluted.

Sasha sighed. "Zane-" She began, before the doors opened, and in Adama came. Sasha looked at the visitor and paled. "Oh, shit."

"As you were, people." Adama said, and Zane dropped the salute and sighed. "Thank the Gods." He muttered.

Adama looked at Sasha. "Commander, there's a Cylon walking around on the port hanger deck." He warned, but Sasha sighed and nodded.

"We know." She said, causing Adama to look at her in surprise "She's been giving us information and has proven herself invaluable to our fleet, sir. She helped identify the other six Cylon Models, excluding her own of course, and has told us much info about the inner-workings of the Cylon's new way of thinking. She's also under the protection of the CCE and the Earth forces, so she's practically untouchable."

Adama nodded. "She was wearing a CCE uniform." He pointed out.

"The Colonel's idea." Sasha said, "He thought making ours look different was a good idea when yours is brought over to limit confusion. She told us she plans on dying her hair as well for additional insurance... anyways, what is it you need Admiral sir?"

"The Colonel's working with my CAG and my own resident lunatic for an operation to capture a Cylon Resurrection Ship." Adama said as he looked at the plotting table. "I need to know how many ships you can spare for the op."

"Well, I can have at least five ships join in for the assault, but of course I have no command over the CCE ships." Sasha said, "However I think they will be more than willing enough to donate a few of their own vessels for the attack."

"Ron's an old friend. I think he'll join the attack himself." Adama said as he looked at the DRADIS for a moment. "How about the Earth ships? You have more then enough of those."

"For them you'll have to ask the leaders of the Swords of Freedom and the Earth Federation Forces." Sasha said, "Nasha Artemis and Zar Hellfury are the leaders of SOF, and Captain Rachel Milsteen is in charge of the EFSF Fleet. And Jaden Takeo is the leader of the Scrap Vultures, pretty much their counterpart of the CCE. I think they'll donate a few ships to the cause though either way."

"Then I should speak to them." Adama said "Where are they right now?"

"The Garden of Thorns," Sasha said, "It's the largest of the Colony Cylinders, though the people of Earth call them Island-3 O'Neill-Class Colonies. Its both their H.Q and where the SOF's families live. Their Military base is located on the ring-segment of the colony." "Thank you, Commander." He said, "And Sasha?" She looked at Bill as he put a pair of rank pins on the plotting table. They were Cain's Rear Admiral's stars. "I'm promoting you to Rear Admiral." Adama said, "I need someone to keep Saul in line, just in case all hell breaks loose during the mission. As of this moment, you are now second in command of the military fleet." Sasha looked at the pins in shock.

"T-Thank you, Admiral." Sasha said when she finally got over the shock, before she saluted, and Adama returned the salute.

"You earned it, Sasha." Adama assured, "Besides, I think you'll do a better job then Cain did. I'm also hoping that you'll keep in contact with your counterparts in the Earth fleet. We're all heading there together. We might as well all defend the Fleet. If you excuse me, I have a Raptor to catch."

Adama left CIC. Zane watched as Sasha fixed the pins to her collar with a small smile. "Does this mean I get promoted now?" Zane said jokingly, as Sasha glared at him. "Right. Never mind."

* * *

**Later, Battlestar **_**Sydney**_

**Port Hangar Bay**

* * *

Jaden stood at the Hangar bay of the _Sydney,_ where he awaited the arrival of the _Galactica's _Raptor which was carrying his new 'guest', the Number 3 D'Anna Biers from _Galactica's _fleet. He was still wearing his Red Zeon Captain's uniform, however he was also wearing his CCE coat overtop of it as well.

'_Hmm... maybe the Scrap Vultures should have their own uniforms..._' Jaden thought to himself, as the Raptor from _Galactica _was lowered down into the Hangar Bay. '_I'll ask Ron about it later._'

The Raptor had rolled into the Hangar, where it finally stopped. The hatch to the Raptor opened, and through the door appeared the Cylon Number 3 D'Anna Biers, her hands cuffed and being escorted by two Colonial marines. And Jaden's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he noticed the bullet wound in the D'Anna's left shoulder.

The D'Anna looked around the Hangar for a moment, before she was shoved off the Raptor by one of the Marines. "Hey!" Jaden shouted as he moved quickly to catch the D'Anna, keeping her from hitting the deck "That's uncalled for! And which of you fuckers shot her, huh?"

"That would be Sergeant Hadrian, Commander." One of the Marines said with a smirk "Bitch went for a gun, so the Sarge shot her. Plain and simple. Besides, she's just a fraking toaster, and a skinjob at that."

Before Jaden could do anything, a bola snare wrapped around the idiot's legs. "Looks like we've got a keeper!" A voice shouted, and Jaden looked at the source and found Ron, wearing what looked like an Australian corker's hat and holding a cable attached to the bolas wrapped around the Marine's legs.

For some reason, Jaden almost pitied the poor bastard... _Almost._ Ron tugged, pulling the Marine off his feet and onto the hanger deck. "Whoops!" Ron shouted, and continued to drag the Marine toward him as the latter screamed. Everyone knew the tales of what he did to people who fraked with his own.

"Let me put something into your heads, retards!" Ron shouted, as he began beating the living shit out of the Marine. (And what he did is NOT suited for an M-rated story, let alone a T-rated one. Let's just say that when the Colonel was done, the poor boy was a bloody pulp.) "Call her or any other Cylon a skinjob again, and your asses will belong to ME! GOT IT?!" The Marines nodded, got their man and bugged out before Ron could do anything more to them.

Jaden looked at Ron's hat. "Do I WANT to know how you got that?" He asked, and Ron shrugged "Better that you don't." He said, "Admiral's got an op planned. We're going to capture that Resurrection Ship trailing the Fleet: it might get them to stop chasing us and Galactica period."

"CAPTURE it?" Jaden asked surprised, "Not destroy?"

"_Destroy_ it, you've got a break. _Capture _it, they piss off forever." Ron pointed out, and Jaden nodded as he saw the logic in that. If they captured the Resurrection Ship for themselves, any Cylons who were resurrected would be forced to resurrect in _their _ship, since it was the closest one available.

"Marines!" Ron ordered as two CCE Marines ran over. "Take our prisoner to sickbay, then put her in the brig." He ordered, "Make sure she's comfortable: she's had a rough day."

"How GRACIOUS of you, Colonel." The Number Three said, sarcasm laced in her voice as Ron sighed.

"My patience is at its' limits, Miss Biers," He said, "so please, for your sake, shut up."

The Marines grabbed her and escorted her to sickbay. Ron looked at Jaden. "Is this going to cause problems between you and the D'Anna we've got on _Mercury_?" He asked, as Jaden shook his head. Then Ron snarled in annoyance. "Great, now she needs to pick a new name. With two of them, we can't call one D'Anna without confusing them with one another."

"I'll ask her later." Jaden said, "How many ships does the Admiral want for the attack?"

"As many as he can get." Ron confirmed, "Good news is that Chief Tyrol's built a stealth fighter on _Galactica_: took him two months to build, but it's invisible on DRADIS. We can disable the drive with ZERO problems, then beat the shit out of the Baseships. They'll leave once they figure out what we're doing, though. And THAT is the entire point: make them frak off."

Jaden nodded, agreeing with the basic idea. "Then we can go looking for the Final Five that are in the Fleet." He said, "Solve this little mystery involving them, my parents and the Hybrid once and for all."

"Amen to that." Ron said with a smile "Admiral Adama's going to speak with Zar and Nasha: ask how many ships they can spare for the battle. I wouldn't be surprised if he asked you how many the Vultures can bring."

Jaden chuckled bitterly. "Hey, we can spare the majority of the Vulture's vessels," he said. " We have about the same strength as 1/5th of SOF's. The _Hell Hawk _among others just need the word to deploy and we're there. How many ships are you bringing?"

"Five: _Zeus, Akron, Macon, Athena_ and _Raynor_, as well as the _Pythia_ to protect the Resurrection Ship once we capture it." Ron said, as Jaden looked at him incredulously. "Three of our _Zeus_-Class Battlestar Dreadnoughts?!" He asked "Ron, don't you think that's OVERKILL!"

"I'm jumping them in AFTER we knock out the Resurrection Ship's FTL." Ron assured, "Maybe the Cylons will get the message and leave right then and there."

"You're trying to limit casualties by bringing in giant, intimidating warships?" Jaden said with a small smirk, and Ron shrugged. "If it works, don't question it. By the way..." He handed Jaden a bottle of green alcohol. It read Pinkerton Breweries Ambrosia, Product of Tauron. "You said we would find _Galactica _and _Pegasus_. I said we wouldn't. You were right, I was wrong. The bottle's all yours."

Jaden blinked, before he grinned "Thanks Ron," he said accepting the Bottle, grinning as he looked at it "Now, what to do with you... drink you tonight, or save ya for a _special _occasion?" He then glanced at Ron "So, when should I be expecting Admiral Adama to show up and ask for Scrap Vulture assistance? And when should we be expecting to deploy?"

"This is very much a mixed operation." Ron said, turning to face him "Since the Admiral's busy, I'll ask for him. Can you provide support for the mission to help capture the Resurrection Ship?"

Jaden smiled. "You've got a hell of a sense of timing." He said with a chuckle "You'll be seeing the _Hell Hawk_ and the Scrap Vulture fleet there, Colonel."

"Ron!" A voice shouted, as Ron and Jaden turned to see one of the deckhands ran over. "What's up?" Ron asked, as the Deckhand tossed a box to Ron. It was like the same ones used for wedding rings, but no one was proposing today.

"Oh, crap." Ron muttered, before he opened the box and revealed what was inside: Commander's rank pins. "Is Admiral Adama promoting everyone today? You know, all-for-one special?"

The deckhand shook his head. "No sir. Admiral Urei actually promoted you." He said, and Ron and Jaden looked at one another. "ADMIRAL?!" They both shouted.

"Yes, sirs." He confirmed "Admiral Adama promoted her to Rear Admiral 2 hours ago. She's XO of the entire Colonial Fleet now."

Ron looked at Jaden. "Hell of a promotion." He muttered, and Jaden nodded "Well, considering she's led the fleet for six months, I think she deserves it." Jaden said, "And so do you. You've been at Major for what, 10 years?"

"15." Ron said with a groan "The Admiralty did NOT like the _Flimsy Whimsy_: it offended them for some stupid reason. I could've made Commander five years ago." He chuckled. "Well, a three rank promotion in six months. I think that beats the shit out of anyone's promotion record."

"What about Cain?" The Deckhand asked, and Both men facepalmed. "I KNEW we were forgetting something!" Ron shouted, and Jaden sighed. "And we're still deadlocked on how we're killing the bitch..." He then threw his hands into the air. "Screw it. Shoot her in the airlock and space the bitch! Perfect way to make her suffer. Where is she?"

"Still on _Mercury_." Ron said, "We'll kill her later: right now, we have bigger things to worry about."

"Like?"

"A: the attack on the Resurrection Ship and B: getting a new uniform. Regulations SUCK."

Jaden raised an eyebrow. "You need a new uniform?" He asked.

"Yes, I do." Ron said with a sigh, "Commanders have red and gold piping. I'm wearing a Colonel's uniform, which has silver and red piping." Jaden then remembered the differences, however slight, between Colonial officers uniforms: Ensign to Major's uniforms had a single grey line, Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel had a red line on outer edge and a silver line on inner edge and he had seen Sasha's uniform: a red line on outer edge and a gold line on inner edge. Cain's uniform had a gold line on outer edge and a silver line on inner edge, and it was going to be hard picturing Sasha in that same uniform. (**RON AN: All of this comes from the series**)

"Any other ships taking part in the assault?" Jaden asked, and Ron nodded.

"_Pegasus_." He said, and Jaden looked at Ron incredulously.

"_Pegasus_?" Jaden asked, "But she doesn't have a commanding officer!"

"The Highest senior officer they've got that isn't completely fraked in the head is Barry Garner." Ron said before he sighed, "Problem is, he's the chief engineer: no command training or experience. The only training he got was when he was in the CCE, and that was engineering only. Even so, he's commanding _Pegasus_, with help."

Both men walked to the Raptor that would take them to the Garden of Thorns. "Who?" Jaden asked, as Ron got into the cockpit, followed by Jaden, who hijacked the co-pilot's seat. "Captain Adama." Ron said.

"The Admiral's son?" Jaden asked, and Ron nodded. "Tigh's not cut out to command a ship:" He said, "He's a drunk, and other than him, Zane and I are the highest ranking people with actual command training left. Zane refuses to leave_ Mercury_ and I'm CCE. That leaves the CAGs, and Apollo has commanded _Galactica_'s air group since the fall. He's the best we've got. If I had a choice, YOU would be commanding _Pegasus_."

Jaden gaped at the proclamation. "W-Wha-"

"But you're not a Colonial officer, which is the ONLY thing stopping me!" Ron said, glancing at Jaden with a smirk as the Raptor was brought up to launch. "You'd make a great Battlestar Commander, Jaden." He said, "I've seen what you've done on the _Hell Hawk._ But... Colonial regulations and crap like that."

Jaden chuckled a bit sheepishly as their Raptor launched "Thanks Ron," he said, "Though as much as I _love _Battlestars, and let me tell you I _LOVE _them, I prefer to stick to ships like the _Hell Hawk, _and eventually the _Morningstar._" He paused for a moment before he sighed "Gonna have to think of a new name for her soon... she's almost finished in the docks."

Ron turned the Raptor toward the Garden. "Well, after we capture the Resurrection Ship and make Cain experience the joys of the vacuum of space, you and I are going to pick one." He said as he began spooling up the FTL drive as soon as they were clear of the _Sydney_.

"Wait, are you-" Jaden began, but Ron calculated a jump and activated the drive, jumping them inside the port.

"_JESUS H. CHRIST! WILL YOU STOP DOING THAT?!_" Ron laughed at the port controller's expense. "I'm not doing any damage to any ships, and the only thing that I'm actually doing is is scaring the piss out of you guys!" Ron said laughing, while Jaden looked at Ron blinking.

"How often do you do that?" He asked.

"Every time I come here." Ron said, grinning "Usually, I'm flying my Mk II, but this is my first time in a Raptor." Jaden stared at Ron as he landed the Raptor. "Come on. Let's go see Zar and Nasha."

He got out of the Raptor, followed by a still shocked Jaden. "Ron I know you're good at calculating jumps, but doing that EVERY DAY?" He asked incredulously.

"It's a wide open space, I know then the ships are leaving." Ron said shrugging, "The only drawback is that I scare everyone every time I jump in."

"No shit."

* * *

**Garden of Thorns - Military Sector**

* * *

Adama walked into the meeting room where Zar and Nasha were waiting. He didn't expect them to stand or salute, which they didn't. That meant they considered him their equal. He could work with that. "Commanders Artemis and Hellfury I presume?" He asked.

Both of the Commanders of SOF nodded, "Fleet Admiral Adama." Nasha said, "It's an honor to meet you at last. Commander Urei and Colonel Pinkerton have told us all about you:" She smirked a bit "A great and fair leader who glares at his men when they disappoint him in some way."

Adama sighed. Of COURSE Ron would tell them about the Adama Glare. "I think the Colonel called it 'laser beams into your very SOUL'." Zar commented.

Yup, he told them.

Zar gestured to a seat. "Please sit down, Admiral. We've been expecting you for a while, actually."

"Really?" Adama asked surprised, as Nasha nodded. "Yes. The Commander told us that you were planning on attacking the Cylon fleet following _Galactica_: 'make them piss off', I think her exact words were." She said, as Adama sat down.

"Yes." He confirmed, "The Colonel informed me that one of the ships in this fleet is a Resurrection Ship. He wants to capture it."

Zar whistled. "Tall order." He said, but nodding "Good idea, though: if they capture it, the Cylons don't have a choice but to piss off for good, otherwise they'll just resurrect in OUR ship every time they die."

Adama nodded. "I was going to ask if you wanted to support this operation." He said, "Anything would help."

"Admiral, the Cylons are our common enemy." Nasha said, "While we have one defector, I don't think the rest will leave us alone until we MAKE them. You have our support. All we ask is that you inform us when you plan on attacking."

"Captain Adama, Lieutenant Thrace, Colonel Pinkerton and Admiral Urei will brief you on the mission." Adama said, as Nasha raised an eyebrow.

"_Admiral_ Urei?" She asked, as Adama explained. "I promoted her to Rear Admiral." He said, "She led this fleet for six months. Even though she's handed control of it to me, she's still its' commander. I'm just trying to set up a clear chain of command. Sasha's my direct subordinate now."

"Your new XO? Not a bad Idea." Zar said, as right then the doors opened and a SOF soldier walked in. "Admiral Adama, Commanders Pinkerton and Takeo are here to speak with you." He said.

Adama raised an eyebrow. "Commander? Sasha must've promoted him." He said, and the soldier nodded. "She did." He confirmed, "Twice in three days, once."

Nasha and Zar signaled the man to let them in, as both men walked in, Ron fiddling with his new rank pins while Jaden kept shaking his head for some reason.

Zar smirked a bit "I take it you jumped into the harbor? Again?" He asked, and Ron just smirked and shrugged. "First time I had a passenger, Commander Hellfury." He said as he saluted the Admiral. "Bill."

"Ron, lose the salute." Adama said, shaking his head and Ron dropped it and went to parade rest.

Adama turned back to the "I plan on attacking the Cylon fleet in two days." He said, "Is that enough time for you to get some volunteers?"

Nasha and Zar glanced at one another, before both nodded. "It is, Admiral." Zar said, "You will have the support of the Swords of Freedom for the attack, and I shall see if Captain Milsteen can have some of her Earth Federation task force to join the attack as well."

"Same for us, Admiral." Jaden said, "The Scrap Vultures will help however we can, just give us the word."

Adama nodded "Good." He said, before he stood up "Thank you for having me over, Commanders." He looked at the newly promoted Commander "Ron, I want you to brief me on what the hell you've been up to on our way back to _Galactica_."

"Aye, sir." Ron said, as both men left the room. Jaden stayed for a moment as he saluted the Commanders, and followed suit.

Nasha sighed as she leaned back in her chair "Well, that's two problems solved in one day," she said, "We've found and captured Cain and the _Pegasus, _and we've regrouped with the _Galactica _and her own fleet."

Zar nodded "Yeah, and we have a way to keep the Cylons off of us for a while," he said. "If we _do _capture this Resurrection Ship that is."

"Then let's hope this mission goes off without too many kinks," Nasha said.

* * *

**12 hours later - **

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- War Room: Operation Resurrection Briefing**

* * *

All of the Fleet's major military commanders stood in the War Room of the _Galactica,_ where Jaden, Ron, and Adama stood before them all. "The operation is simple, but not simple to pull off." Jaden said, "We are going to make the Cylons find US."

Everyone looked at Jaden as if he were crazy. Technically, he WAS, but that was beside the point. "We jump our fleet-_Mercury_, the regular fleet survivors, the CCE and Earth ships and colonies-to the next rendezvous point." Jaden explained, "_Galactica's_ Fleet will jump as well, but three ships will stay behind, fraining mechanical problems with their FTL drives."

Apollo jumped in. "I will jump in with the Blackbird stealth fighter and take out the Resurrection Ship's FTL drive," Apollo said, "Preventing it from jumping away."

Tigh, not believing in the 'capture part of the plan, asked "Why not have the stealth ship carry nukes and destroy it right at the start?" He asked.

Starbuck shook her head. "We ran simulations on that." She said, "We determined that the cylons would detect the nuclear warheads and destroy the stealth ship before it got within weapons range. Besides, sir, we're trying to capture it."

Ron sighed. "Moving on." He said, "As soon as the FTL drives are disabled, _Galactica, Pegasus_ and the attack fleet jump in while Jaden and I lead the Marine strike team to secure the Resurrection Ship. The _Spitfire_-Class AA light cruiser _Pythia_ will keep any Cylons from attacking the Resurrection Ship while we repair the FTL drive. If absolutely necessary, we can dock the damned thing inside one of _Zeus_' flight pods."

Roslin looked at Ron. "Surely, Commander, the _Zeus _is not **that **big." She said, but Ron just scoffed.

"The flight pods of a _Zeus-_class are big enough to hold three _Mercury_-Class Battlestars, one on top of the other and are 30 kilometers long." He said, "A Resurrection Ship is roughly the same size as a _Mercury_, so it will fit."

Jaden took over again. "There are three variations on this plan: Plan A, the Cylons jump out as soon as they pick up the attack fleet." He said, "This is the ideal scenario."

Apollo spoke up next. "Plan B, the Cylons fight to the death."

Ron brought up the last, and most likely, one. "Plan C, they call for reinforcements and try to destroy the Resurrection Ship themselves." He said, "We should prepare for all three."

Starbuck smirked. "Hope for the best, prepare for the worse, huh?" She asked, and Ron just smirked back.

"I served under your mother for 2 years, Lieutenant." He said, "Don't try to quote her." Before Starbuck could start screaming at him, Adama pressed on. "What advantages do we have?" He asked.

Jaden pulled out a model of a _Salamis Kai_-Class light cruiser that was built on _Mercury_. "Beam weapons, for one." He said, "The Cylons either have not or cannot come up with a countermeasure, so a few shots from Mega Particle Cannons can disable the Baseships with minimal trouble."

Ron brought up a model of an MS-06F2 Zaku II F2 Type. "Advantage two: Mobile Suits. The Cylons still haven't come up with an MS of their own, so we're still kicking their asses in that field." He said, and Starbuck brought up the most important one.

"Advantage three: surprise, in the form of the Blackbird and the _Mercury_ fleet." She said, "The Cylons have no clue that we've met up, and will only be expecting _Galactica_, not a massive fleet of warships."

Apollo joined in. "And they'll be expecting us to try to destroy the Resurrection Ship, not capture it." He said.

Adama looked at the three craziest people in the room. "How many casualties are we going to take?" He asked.

"I'd say almost zero." Ron said with a smirk before he and Jaden reached down, and picked up their respective G36K Beam Rifles "Jaden and I created a miniature version of a Mobile Suit's beam rifle, and we've been working on improving how many shots it can fire. At the moment, it can fire 20. We're working on 30, and since we're arming all of the Marines with them..."

Jaden smirked and finished. "The bastards don't stand a chance in hell, since it melts through Centurion armor like a superheated knife through hot butter... also, a little upgrade I just recently passed through development..." He flicked a switch on his rifle, and emerging from the front of the Rifle appeared a 12 inch long Beam Knife. "These... are just in case things get close and personal with the Cylons. Beam Bayonets."

Adama looked at the pair. "Get your men ready, Commanders." He said, and turned to Zar and Nasha. "How many ships can you and your forces spare?"

"We'll be sending in the _Midolo, _a _Dolos-_class Super Heavy Carrier." Nasha said, "Its got over 180 Mobile Suits ready to deploy the moment she jumps in when the all-clear comes in. We're also sending in two _Gwazine-_class Battleships, three _Magellan Kai-_class Battleships, a _Sadalahin-_class Battleship, one of our _Alexandria-_class Heavy Cruisers, an _Endra-_class Cruiser, and several of our _Musai _and _Salamis-_class Vessels for additional support."

"We are also pitching in our entire Task Force as well," Rachel said, nodding. "The _Phoenix _will take part in the assault along with our _Nelson-_class Cruisers, a _Clop-_class Cruiser, and an _Irish-_class Battleship."

"Scrap Vultures are going in as well," Jaden said, "We've got a _Trafalgar-_class Assault Carrier, my ship the _Hell Hawk, _a _Magellan Kai-_class, two _Salamis Kai-_class Cruisers, a _Tivvay-_class Fast Heavy Cruiser, two _Musai-_class Final Production Type Cruisers, and the _Sydney_."

"The CCE will also be pitching in, but with only five ships." Ron said, "The _Zeus, Akron, Macon, Athena _and _Raynor_." Adama knew better than to question why Ron was only sending in five ships. A _Zeus_-Class Battlestar Dreadnought was a fleet unto itself: anyone stupid or suicidal enough to attack one would be destroyed within seconds of getting within weapons range, as the 1500cm cannons would rip ANYTHING apart, no matter how heavily armored. The only thing that could kill a _Zeus _was another _Zeus _and four _Titan_-Class quad-pod Strike Battlestars, and the Cylons didn't have anything remotely that heavily armed or armored. The other two ships weren't even needed.

"That's not much, Ron." Zar pointed out, but Ron shook his head "Zar, a _Zeus _could do this mission alone. But that's not my call, It's the Admiral's." Ron faced his CO. "And he says more is better."

Adama looked at his son. "Lee, I'm promoting you to Major." He said, "You're now _Pegasus' _XO until further notice. Starbuck, you're a Captain now, and in charge of _Galactica's _air group."

"Yes, sir." They both said as they saluted. The Fleet Admiral looked at Ron and Jaden. "What are you doing with Cain?" He asked.

"After the battle's done and over with, she dies. Pure and simple." Ron said, "After that, I'm going to take a good long look at the crew and see who else needs to get spaced and/or shot."

Jaden looked at the President. "Ma'am, do you have ANY lawyers left in the Fleet?" He asked, "As much as you want to avoid this, you need a judicial system back up and running."

Roslin glared at Jaden. "You think I don't know that, Commander?" She asked, "The problem is, over the past six months this Fleet has barely had enough time for electing the Quorum of Twelve, let alone legal trials."

"You set up an educational program for the Fleet's children." Ron pointed out, as Roslin looked at him incredulously. "Read Bill's logs." He said, before Ron looked at Adama. "Sorry."

Adama shook his head. "You haven't changed at all." He muttered, and Ron grinned "Damn right!" He shouted.

Roslin sighed. "Do you know how complex the Colonial legal system is, Commander Takeo?" She asked, "We had TWELVE worlds. TWELVE. And it's hard enough for ONE planet's legal system to survive. Twelve simply will not survive. Finding the lawyers will be bad enough. Finding neutral ground will be a disaster!"

"Why not _Galactica_? It's as neutral as it can get." Jaden said, "And if you ever wanted too, you could use the Garden of Thorns."

"Enough, Commanders." Adama said, "We have work to do, because in 36 hours, we either capture or destroy that Cylon Resurrection ship. Dismissed." The Colonial officers left, but Adama, Roslin and the Earth commanders stayed behind.

"I'm surprised your lending us so many ships," Adama said to the Earth Commanders.

"We told you we'd help out however we could," Nasha said with a smile, "As much as I don't doubt the abilities of the _Zeus-_class vessels... you can never be too careful."

"Which is why the Commander chose to bring three of them rather than a larger number of smaller ships." He said, as Adama looked at the recon photos taken six months before. "That, and those things are almost untouchable. If the Cylons know fear, they'll frak off when they see those things."

* * *

**Battlestar Sydney: **

**16 hours to operation**

* * *

Jaden and his CCE counterpart stood in front of a large number of volunteer Marines, both Colonial, Ex-Zeon, and ECOAS. "The mission is simple." Jaden said, "We board the Resurrection Ship, take out every Centurion and organic hostile on board, take control and repair the FTL drive. We have our work cut out for us, boys and girls. We know almost NOTHING about the Resurrection Ship's layout. But we WILL secure that ship."

The Marines nodded. "SO SAY WE ALL!" They all shouted.

Jaden picked up his G36K beam rifle. "This is the G36KB Beam Rifle." He said, "The E-caps have a 20 round magazine and fire in semiautomatic mode only. Until we solve the cooling issue and increase the amount of shots you can fire, full auto is out of the question. One shot is enough to take out a Centurion, and each of you is carrying three extra E-caps. And all of you are carrying regular guns with explosive rounds. Make every shot count."

"We're also going to be seeing humanoid models on this thing." Ron continued where Jaden left off. "If it's not wearing Marine body armor, you put a bullet into their brains. Clear?"

"CLEAR, SIR!"

"Skids up at 0630, people." Ron said, "Write out your wills, get your stuff ready for auction just in case. Dismissed!" The Marines got up and left the briefing room. However Jaden looked at Ron oddly "Auction?" He asked.

Ron chuckled. "What, never bid on shit that used to belong to dead people?" He asked.

Jaden looked at his friend with wide eyes . "WHAT?!" He shouted.

Ron sighed. "It's a way to kill the tension." He said, "I mean, other than us, there's no more friendlies out there. This is it, kid." Both walked into the halls of the giant warship. "It's also incentive. 'Come back, or we're hocking your shit!' It works."

Jaden chuckled. "That's a good way of looking at it." He said dryly, as Ron looked around. "It's also an opportunity to look for the Final Five." He whispered, "I mean, they've got to have bodies on those ships."

"You want to keep this between you and me?" Jaden asked, "Shouldn't Admiral Adama be informed?"

"Not yet." Ron said, shaking his head "Not until we find out WHO they are." Ron patted Jaden on the shoulder. "Let's get our shit ready. After all, it's not everyday that we're capturing a Cylon Resurrection Ship."

"You got THAT right, Commander."

* * *

**Zero hour - Operation Resurrection**

* * *

As the timer hit zero, the Cylons jumped into view of the _Galactica's _fleet just on time and as planned. The Fleet started jumping away, as only five ships (_Gideon_, _Gemenon Traveler_, _Thera Sita_, _Virgon Express_, and _Zephyr_) remained behind. The two Baseships launched their Raiders, ready to attack. But they did not see the Blackbird jump in VERY close to the Resurrection Ship.

"Don't anyone look out of the window right now, please." Apollo muttered as he flew behind the ship. He then fired two missiles right into the location of the FTL drive, and the missiles flew true causing two explosions, confirming the FTL's destruction. Moving quickly, Apollo moved off before spooling up the FTL drive of the Blackbird again. "Psycho, Apollo, target's FTL is history. She's all yours."

"_Copy Apollo. Jump out NOW!_" Ron said on the Comm, and Apollo pushed the button and jumped away, saving the Blackbird from destruction. (**RON AN: So many uses for that thing, and the bastard producers blew it up after three episodes?! FUCK THAT!**)

Almost immediately afterwards, the assault fleet jumped in, launching every Viper and MS they had while The Raptor attack team jumped in behind the Resurrection ship. "Psycho to all Raptors: cock and lock, people!" Ron shouted as the Delta Gundam launched from _Sydney._ And at the same time, Raptors launched from the vessels, and began landing on the hull of the Resurrection ship, and began cutting their way through.

It was at that point that the Cylons realized what the Colonials were doing, and called for reinforcements. LOTS of them. "_Psycho, _Galactica: _15 Baseships just jumped in!_" Adama warned.

"Good thing we brought an engineering team with us." Ron said, "Zeta Squad, fix that FTL drive! Deltas, cover them! Everyone else, fan out and take out anything that ain't friendly!" The _Pythia_ jumped in less than a kilometer from the Resurrection ship, putting out enough bullets to plough the North American continent. As they were, they would be hacking Raiders of all kinds to pieces.

"_Wardog flight to all teams: kill the bastards!_" Then the Vipers from the Colonial warships entered the fray, joined by over 400 Mobile Suits. It was a sight to behold, as Vipers fought alongside Zaku's and GM's, the Mobile Suits fighting back-to-back covering one another, while the Vipers provided quick support, gunning down Fast-moving Raiders. The Mobile Suits returned the favor, as they expertly shot down Missiles launched towards the Vipers, saving pilots.

The Battlestars and other warships then targeted the Baseships. _Galactica _and _Pegasus _targeted the closest one, then opened fire with their big 600cm cannons. When not on the defensive, a Battlestar was a fearsome weapon. One could rip a Baseship to pieces. Two could rip a dozen to shreds with the right amount of luck and skill. And that sight was amazing to the MS teams: two Battlestars beating the crap out of a Baseship.

The _Zeus _and her sisters moved in on the enemy targets, but the Cylons didn't seem to be in the mood to play. Too bad for them that they were in weapons range. On board the _Zeus_, Lt. Colonel Mana Kirishima gave the order. "Main batteries, FIRE!" She shouted, and the dorsal 1500cm cannons fired a single volley, destroying three Baseships and forcing the rest to recall their Raiders for suicide attacks on the BSDs.

However, the Raiders were only greeted with the _Zeus's _massive amounts of AA defenses, some of the heaviest in the Colonial fleet as the Raiders were slaughtered. Only one Raider seemed to survive the onslaught, and attempted to ram one of the 1500cm cannons, but its luck soon ended as it was obliterated when the very cannot it was about to ram into fired, the shot killing the Raider, and the Baseship it was intending to kill.

The Cylons immediately rethought their tactics as fast as they could. After losing eight of their Baseships and countless Raiders, it was clear to the Cylons that they had to abandon the ship, and retreat. One by one, the remaining Baseships were forced to jump away, along with their Raiders.

The operation was a tactical success. It was up to the boarding parties on the Resurrection Ship to make it a strategic one as well.

* * *

**Resurrection Ship - Alpha Team**

* * *

After landing their respective Mobile Suits, Ron and Jaden took command of Alpha Team and began their sweep of the ship. They hadn't run into any Centurions, and Jaden had an idea why: who the hell would be insane enough to brave two Baseships to try and capture a Resurrection Ship?

"No Centurions, no humanoid models." Jaden said, as he held his G36KB "This thing's practically deserted!"

"Not deserted." Ron said, as he pointed forward as a pair of unarmed Sixes entered their view. Ron picked out his sidearm, and fired two rounds into their legs which quickly brought them down. "Resurrection technicians." He said, "Explains why there aren't any Centurions on board: who would want to see one of THEM when they came back from the dead?"

Ron faced two of the Marines. "Secure them." He said, gesturing to the downed sixes, and the Marines saluted "Aye, sir!"

Two Marines tied up the Sixes after seeing that they weren't badly wounded. "Everyone else, on us!" Ron signalled, and the Marines followed the two Commanders.

They continued on through the Resurrection Ship, encountering almost no opposition, until eventually they came across a sealed hatch.

"What the hell?" Ron asked, "Every other place on this ship wasn't sealed off."

Jaden knocked on the hatch. "Hybrid chamber, maybe?" He asked, but Ron shook his head. "One on the Baseship wasn't sealed off, so why should the one on this one be sealed?" He pointed out.

Suddenly, it hit them as both men looked at one another. "The Final Five resurrect on the other side of this hatch!" They both said simultaneously, as Jaden got ready to cut his way through with the beam bayonet. "No, it's too thick." Ron said, stopping him "And using G-4 would destroy whatever's on the other side. We can't brute force this thing."

Jaden raised an eyebrow as he lowered his rifle. "You suggesting we hack into a Cylon network?" He asked, and Ron shrugged "Why not?" He said, "It might work. Problem is, I need a computer, which is something I neglected to bring."

"Thought we'd be up to our necks in Centurions?" Jaden asked with a small smirk, as Ron chuckled "Crowns of our heads, actually, but yes."

Jaden thought about it for a moment, before he grinned "I think I know someone who can help us..." he said, as he pulled up his Communicator "Yo, D'Anna, you reading me?"

There was a short pause "_I read you Jaden,_" D'Anna said, "_What's up?_"

"You know anywhere on this ship where we could computer-hack a sealed door?" He asked, "Me and Alpha Team found a locked door, and we need in."

"_Not to my knowledge, but I can look for a terminal where I can link into._" She said, "_Maybe I can unlock the door from there._"

Ron tapped his headset. "While you're doing that, us and Alpha Team will look for another way in." He said, "Always best to use all of our options." He looked at the Marines. "Two man fire teams! Look for an entrance to this room, and if you see any Cylon that's not wearing Marine-issue BDUs, put a bullet into them!"

"Got it, sir!" The Marines shouted before they split up. "D'Anna, when you find a data terminal, can you find out if there are any Centurions on board? I'd rather not lose any men today, including you."

"_On it, Commander._" D'Anna said as Ron smirked. "Thanks." He said, and turned to his fellow Commander "Jaden, you're with me. Let's find us a door."

Jaden nodded as both men started their sweep across the Resurrection Ship. However, after several reports from other teams, they discovered that there was not one Cylon onboard the ship, aside from the few technicians that they took down.

Ron groaned, "Great," he muttered, "We're on a godsdamn ghost ship."

"At least ghost ships don't have semi-dead, semi-living bodies in goo-filled tubs, right?" Jaden pointed out, and Ron chuckled at the joke.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- CIC**

* * *

"Admiral, the Cylons are jumping away!" Kelly reported, "The Resurrection Ship is ours! We've won!" Cheering broke out in CIC, as the _Galactica _at long last had achieved a genuine victory.

Adama smiled a bit, as he nodded "Great work, people." He said, "Now the Cylons don't have a choice but to leave us alone. Mr. Gaeta, tell Admiral Urei that once all of her planes are accounted for and the Resurrection Ship is secured, we're jumping to rendezvous with the Fleet."

Now, Adama knew they had to deal with the tricky part: dealing with Baltar. He was the vice-president, even though Gaeta confirmed that the CNP was partially rewritten, and not by Baltar. And Baltar may have been crazy (not the kind of crazy that makes you brilliant like Ron and Jaden, but the crazy that makes people run up walls) but he was no traitor. And while many, many people would like it that way, duplicity via stupidity was no crime.

"Colonel Tigh?" Adama said, as the bald man looked at his CO. "Sir?"

"Tell the Marines to release Doctor Baltar." He said, "As much as I hate the bastard-"

"Amen to that."

"-he technically hasn't done anything wrong. I'm cutting him loose."

Tigh sighed. "We're going to regret this." He muttered, but Adama shook his head "I know." He said, "But the President's been on my ass about it, and even though Baltar's a nut, he's a lot better then Zarek. And if we take out Baltar, Zarek's going to push for the vice-presidency."

"And he'll have Roslin killed, somehow." Tigh said with a sigh. "Can't we just kill Zarek?"

Adama winced at the reminder that Starbuck could've killed the bastard 6 months ago. "Wish we could." He said, "But that's not happening right now, Saul."

* * *

**Resurrection Ship**

* * *

"Ok, this is officially beginning to piss me off." Jaden shouted. EVERY entrance to the chamber was sealed off, from top to bottom each entrance which leaded to the sealed chamber were just that: sealed tight.

Jaden looked at Ron. "Can't you use shaped charges?" He asked, but Ron shook his head "No, not without knowing how thick the doors are." He said, as he tapped his headset. "D'Anna, any luck?"

"_Not one bit._" D'Anna said,"_There are zero Centurions on board, but that chamber can only be accessed by one model._" Jaden scoffed. "Let me guess: the Ones."

"_You'd be right._" D'Anna said, "_I can't access the commands for the blast doors. There's only one thing that can other than a Cavil, and that's the Hybrid._"

"And we've had no luck getting one of THOSE things to cooperate." Ron growled, as frustration was kicking in.

"You know what? Screw it, we're cracking these damn things at first chance!" Jaden shouted, as he activated his Beam Bayonet and jabbed it into the sealed door, and trailing it across leaving behind a noticeable mark. "It'll have to break eventually!"

Ron sighed as he shook his head, still on the Comm "Gamma Team, status?"

"_We've found the Hybrid and disconnected it, Commander._" The leader of Gamma Team said, "_We're docking a Raptor to take control now._" Ron nodded. "Good work, boys and girls. Zeta Team, how's that FTL drive doing?"

"_FTL's fixed, sir. Soon as the Raptor's connected, we're good to go._" Ron sighed. "Good work, Zeta. Get back to your Raptors, get some rack time and a free visit to Cloud Nine, on me."

Whoops were heard on the other end, before Ron killed the Comm, and glanced at Jaden with a smirk "Let's go kill us a bitch, huh?" He said.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Mercury **_**- Starboard flight deck, Launch Tube 64**

* * *

"Former Rear Admiral Helena Cain," Rear Admiral Sasha Urei said, as she, Adama, President Roslin, Jaden, Ron, and many others stood at the Launch Tube where Helena Cain was, tied up on a pole Jaden had set up. "You have committed a dozen Colonial War Crimes, including: Murder of a Colonial Officer, Abandonment and Murder of Refugees, Allowed Rape, Torture and other physical abuses on a prisoner, and resisting arrest. Because of these crimes, the Colonial Military, and Government, has unanimously voted that you be executed for your crimes."

Ron and Jaden took two Cx4's from the Marines and pointed them at Cain. "Just so you know, we're shooting you, THEN spacing you." Ron said, as both smirked viciously "I wonder how it's going to feel: having the blood sucked out of your body in a perfect vacuum."

Cain spat at Ron in defiance. "Well...frak you too Bitch." Jaden said, as he cocked his Cx4. "I hope you have a _nice _stay in hell! And if you see a guy named Gihren Zabi while you're down there, tell him to fuck off."

Both men fired one shot, putting two non-lethal, but extremely painful, wounds into Cain's stomach. She could survive...If they weren't shoving her out the airlock. The tube closed, and both men walked into the control booth.

Both Jaden and Ron were wearing their cruelest of smiles, as they put their hands on the controls, before they waved at her "Bye-bye." They said, as they pushed the button together, venting Cain into the vacuum and out the tube. Her corpse ran into a Viper, knocking it off course before the pilot corrected.

Jaden sighed happily "That felt surprisingly good..." he said, as Ron nodded. "Very, " he said, "But now, its time for the witch hunt."

Both men exited the booth and looked at Commander Barry Garner. "Commander Garner, I want Lieutenant Thorne, Specialists Gage and Vireem and everyone else on this list." He handed Garner the list taken from the brig. "All of them are to be handed over to either the CCE or the Scrap Vultures."

Garner, in fear of his former CO's wrath, nodded. "Yes, sir." He saluted and walked off.

Sasha walked over to the pair. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Making an example." Ron explained, "Cain allowed Throne and everyone on that list to repeatedly rape the Cylon prisoner on that ship. There are also five Marines on that list who killed those civilians on the Scylla, and according to the logs Cain kept, Kendra fraking Shaw fired the first shot! This cannot and will not be tolerated, Admiral."

Sasha nodded, however before another word could be said, Jaden glanced to the side, and his eyes widened as Roslin stumbled to the deck. "Madam President!" He called out, and soon everyone rushed to her side.

"Fuck! Get a doctor!" Jaden said, but Adama shook his head. "Get the President on a Raptor to _Galactica_." He said, "Doctor Cottle's been treating her."

Jaden looked at Adama. "What's wrong with her?" He asked, Ron had a thought and pressed a hand against her left breast. "Ron, what the fu-"

"Son of a bitch. It's breast cancer." Ron said, just as team of medics arrived and got Roslin on a gurney, then to a Raptor. Ron looked at Adama. "How long?"

Adama sighed. "Since the Fall, according to what I've been told." He said.

Jaden looked at the Admiral. "Sir, we have to save her." He said, "Baltar _cannot_ become president of the Colonies! He would lead us to ruin!"

"I know." Adama said, "So I'm tasking you two to find a way."

Both men looked at Adama. "WHAT?!" They both shouted, and Jaden said "Admiral, we're engineers, not doctors!"

"Bill, this is madness!" Ron retorted before Adama looked at him. "You can do this." He said, his gaze turned to Jaden. "You have to."

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- Sickbay - **

**12 hours later**

* * *

Jaden and Ron sat near one of the desks in _Galactica's _sickbay, where they had poured out all of Roslin's medical reports, among all of the other Reports from _Galactica _for them to view. While they weren't doctors, Ron and Jaden were masters of improvisation. They at least hoped that they could pull this off.

"This is crazy, even for us." Jaden muttered, shaking his head "Why the hell did he ask US to do this?"

Ron chuckled. "We're miracle workers, Jaden." He said, "We do the impossible. That's why." Ron glanced through all of the records again, but something caught his eyes as his brow furled. "Hold it." He said, as he picked up one record, where there was a picture of a pregnant Number Eight Cylon. "The Eight they've got in the brig: she hasn't gotten sick since Agathon knocked her up."

Jaden rose an eyebrow "So?" he asked.

"Maybe that's the key." Ron said, but Jaden shook his head "Ron, she's pregnant." He said, "I don't know that much about Medical Science, but I _do _know a blood transfusion at her current state-"

"Not Sharon." Ron said, shaking his head, "The baby. Take fetal blood and inject it into the tumor."

Jaden blinked before tossed the idea around in his head. "Like... like a cancer bleach?" He asked, before Ron started laughing his ass off. "THAT is fraking hilarious! But all too true." He said before he walked over to a phone. "This is Commander Pinkerton: please get Admiral Adama on the line."

A moment later... "_Adama._"

"Sir, we've got a way to save the President." Ron said.

"_So does Baltar_." Adama said, "_Meet me in five_."

Ron hung up. "Five minutes." He said, and Jaden got up and walked out of the office that they had been using.

* * *

**5 minutes later**

* * *

Ironically, all three had the same idea at the same time: use Sharon's fetal blood as cancer bleach. Adama chuckled, amused. "The craziest men in the fleet all come up with the same idea." He said, "I think I should be scared."

"Yes, you should." Baltar said, as Ron and Jaden looked at the Doctor/Vice President, who still had a black eye from when the Marines tackled him. "Good work, Commanders." Adama said, "Dismissed."

Jaden and Ron saluted, as they began to leave. However as Jaden approached the door, he glanced back at Baltar... and rose an eyebrow '_The Fuck?_' He thought, as he saw a Number Six Cylon wearing a red dress standing right next to Baltar, her hands on his shoulders. Jaden knew damn good and well that she was _not _there a moment ago. Hell, Adama wasn't even reacting too seeing her! The Number Six Cylon spoke with Gaius, and the Doctor spoke back, but almost in a whisper so no one else could hear him. "Jaden?" Ron said, as he looked at him. "What the frak, man? You're staring at Baltar."

"You can't see her?" Jaden asked, as Ron rose an eyebrow and glanced back towards Balter "See who?" He asked, "The President?"

"No, the Six." Jaden said, "The one in the red dress."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Ok...you're seeing things." He said, "Pilot's briefing room. NOW." Ron walked off, with the younger man hot on his heels. The moment they reached the briefing room, Ron faced his friend. "You saw a Cylon in there." He asked.

"Yes." Jaden responded with a nod.

"A Cylon no one else could see."

"Just Baltar." Jaden corrected, "He could see it: he was talking to her."

Ron sighed. "Jaden, the only Cylon in the room was the Eight." He said.

"Ron, I am _not _going crazy here," Jaden said, "At least... not as crazy as I was before... but I knew what I saw!"

Ron sighed again before he facepalmed. "Newtypes." He muttered, "You bastards are going to drive me INSANE."

Jaden blinked "Ron, what are you-"

"That Cylon might be a dead Six that didn't resurrect." Ron elaborated, "Left a psychic mark on Baltar so strong that an...remnant stayed with him. I mean, it's happened in EVERY documented Newtype case."

"...You do a LOT of reading in your spare time, don't you?" Jaden asked, and Ron shrugged.

"Pays to be prepared." He said, "Besides, there's very few explanations other than 'you are crazy'."

Jaden smiled a bit "Well... thanks for actually _believing _me Ron," he said, with a dry chuckle "I thought I _was _going crazy there for a sec... you don't think that Cylon 'imprint' could affect Balter in any other ways, do you?"

"I wouldn't know," Ron said, "But of course I'd believe you, I've known you for six months now Jaden. Not once have you lied to me, in fact I don't know where we'd be without you, and the others from Earth. The fact you guys are here is proof that not only that Earth is for real, but it also shows we _do _have somewhere to go rather than wandering aimlessly across space until we find a habitable planet. You gave us hope." Ron then took in a deep breath "Well, enough of that for now." He said, "We have a ship to name, and I've got a bunch of assholes to flush into space. Let's go home."

Jaden smiled and nodded "Sounds good," he said, as he looked at the list "Also, that one Marine we caught on _Pegasus, _a... Captain Kendra Shaw? I think she should be the _only _one we cut some slack on this list. Maybe demote her a few ranks or something."

Ron rose an eyebrow at that "Why?" He asked, "She's the one who started shooting people on the _Scylla_!"

"I know, but..." Jaden said, "I got a gut feeling she doesn't exactly feel proud of herself for that. She may of just been following orders, in fear of what Cain would do to her-considering what Cain did too Colonel Belzen. I think she at least deserves a second chance."

Suddenly, Ron's eyes widened, before he slammed his head into the bulkhead. "Fraking Hybrid! That's what it meant!" He shouted, and Jaden looked at him in surprise "What?" He asked.

Ron looked at Jaden. "'She regrets what she did, Ronald, so don't kill her'." He said, quoting the Hybrid of the captured Baseship. "It was talking about Shaw!" Then Ron got to thinking. "Her eyes. They were slightly...off. Like she'd been...taking drugs." Ron sighed. "I'll let her live. But she's not serving on _Pegasus_. I'm transferring her to the _Raynor_. Maybe going cold turkey will smarten her up and make sure she doesn't make such stupid choices ever again."

"Yeah, so say we all." Jaden said, as both of them continued down the halls to reach the Flight Pods.

* * *

**117Jorn: Ta-da! And that's this chapter of Law for the Wolves! And you know what that means?**

**Ron the True Fan: Oh, yes. KILL THE CAVILS!**

**117Jorn: Yes, and as an added Bonus for the day, we threw in Cain just for kicks! So Ron, you got any ideas for today's execution?**

**Ron the True Fan: (Whistles) I decided to be a right asshole. (A Xenomorph Queen appears out of nowhere and starts killing them left and right) And Cain gets a pretty bonus. Facehugger! (Cain tries to run, but to no avail as a Facehugger latches on)**

**117Jorn: Damn dude! ...wait, what happens when the new Alien bursts out of her? We gonna need to hire a Yautja for this one, or should I ask if Tex would like to deal with it?**

**Tex: *Appears from Active Camo blur* Not unless you pay me for the bounty on their heads. By the way, when am I gonna end up in the story?**

**117Jorn: Don't worry, I am a man of my word Tex. I can guarantee you and the others will be in one of the next few chapters. **

**Ron the True Fan: No need to worry about the Xenos. I will handle it personally. And Tex? There's a container outside. It's yours.**

**Tex: *Tilts head, but heads out the door***

**117Jorn: *Looks at Ron warily* Ron, I hope you know what you're doing...**

**Ron the True Fan: I'm PAYING her. In gold bars. That way, she doesn't kill me.**

**117Jorn: Wait... I thought I already paid her **_**not **_**to kill you? And on that note: **_**Why **_**would she be out to kill you? **

**Ron the True Fan: Do I NEED to bring up **_**Reds and Blues of the Old Republic**_**?**

**117Jorn: Ah, right. The Fic you cancelled... yeah, she'd be pretty pissed about that... anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter, and be prepared for the next Cavil-side! Until then...**

**Ron the True Fan: Ja Ne, everybody.**


	6. Chapter 6

**117Jorn: Hello people! 117Jorn and Ron the True Fan returning back to you with another addition to Law for the Wolves!**

**Ron the True Fan: That's right, folks. We're back, and we've got a present. (Looks at Cain) Three, two, one... (Chestburster comes out and is shot by Ron using a S&W M500) There, problem solved.**

**117Jorn: *Laughs* Makes me laugh every time that happens... its why I'm Terrified of the Star Wars Universe. **

**Ron the True Fan: Don't you mean **_**Alien vs Predator**_**?**

**117Jorn: No, the Xenomorphs are in Star Wars Canon. I checked. **

**Ron the True Fan: ...Dude, Xenomorph is just the pretty name for the ugly bastards from the **_**Alien **_**movies.**

**117Jorn: Well if I just said 'Alien' how would you know if I was talking about the species or another Alien Species? **

**Ron the True Fan: That's why I use 'xenomorph'. I'm exact. But I think we've wasted enough of our reader's time.**

**117Jorn: Good point, so let's dive right on into Chapter Six!**

* * *

_**181 Days after the Fall of the 12 Colonies - Battlestar **_**Galactica**

* * *

The _Galactica, _now reunited with the fleet, was undergoing a series of refits to bring the Battlestar back up to full operational capacity. Its armaments and weapons were reloaded and repaired, and the Starboard Flight Pod of the Battlestar, which had been converted into a pressurized museum, was reconverted back to a normal, fully functioning flight pod once again, bringing the ship back to its max Viper-carrying capacity.

Jaden, in his Gouf, looked at the last things to be removed from the flight pod: the enclosed windows. Two Worker Zakus were busy ripping them off. "How long is this going to take?" Jaden groaned.

"_As long as it took to put them in, Commander._" One of the Zaku pilots said, "_Whoever helped install them needs to be shot!_"

"_Bit late for that: he died during the Fall when they vented the port flight pod after _Galactica _was nuked._" Ron said, and Jaden sighed in annoyance. Why RON wanted him to supervise this he did not know. Oh, right: they weren't just bring _Galactica _back to full strength: they were making her even deadlier by adding beam weapons and Mobile Suit catapults. It could only carry ten compared to the _Sydney_, but _Galactica _was half the size, so it didn't matter.

"_Getting bored, Jaden?_" Ron asked as his Viper flew past, inspecting the newly installed weapons.

Jaden nodded "VERY." He confirmed.

"_You'd rather be doing it yourself?_"

"Oh, YES." Jaden muttered, and Ron chuckled a bit.

"_Well, it's better then what Apollo's doing._" He said, "_I mean, he nearly got killed yesterday on _Cloud Nine_._" Jaden shook his head. Roslin had ordered that the black market shut down, but that simply wasn't happening. Fisk was killed two days before Apollo was nearly garroted, making the matter worse. Lee was assigned to take take of the investigation. Two days into it, he nearly lost his head. Literally.

"At least HE got to DO something," Jaden groaned, as he leaned back in his cockpit "I'm stuck here just _watching_ work get done... I like doing things a _bit _more productive than this..."

"_Psycho, Raptor 419: we're en route to Sydney with Lieutenant Agathon and the Cylon prisoner._" Swallow said on the Com, as a Raptor took off from the _Galactica's_ Starboard Flight Pod.

That brought up issue two: Sharon and her baby. Roslin, despite being saved by said baby, was NOT going to let Sharon raise her child. Ron and Jaden disagreed and requested the Admiral to give her to the CCE and Scrap Vultures. Adama agreed, but of course Lieutenant Karl 'Helo' Agathon, the father of the child, wasn't going to just leave Sharon, and was allowed to transfer over to the _Sydney _as well. Sharon will be given a normal room, under guard of course, rather than a cell.

"_Good work, 419._" Ron said, "_After you're done, RTB back to _Mercury _and get some rack time._"

"_Copy that, sir._"

Ron then vectored toward the _Vulcan_. "_Jaden, I'm heading to_ Vulcan," He said, "_See if they got those new E-caps and rifles ready. You know what THAT means._" Jaden smirked. "Newer, better beam rifles." He said, "Sweet! Let me know if they've made any headway on those new variants I proposed, like the Sniper and Light Machine Gun variants."

"_Damn right! I'll be back with new guns later._" Ron said, as his Viper soared away.

"_Commander Takeo,_ Galactica: _Admiral Adama wants to speak with you in private._" Felix Gaeta said on the Comm, "_Land your MS on the port flight pod._"

Jaden blinked in surprise, but nodded "I copy _Galactica, _heading there now." He said, as he vectored the Gouf toward the port flight pod, wondering what Adama was going to ask him.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- Admiral's Quarters**

* * *

Adama was busy writing in his log when someone knocked on the hatch. "Come in." The hatch opened and in came Jaden. "Commander Takeo, thank you for coming to see me."

Jaden nodded as he stepped into his quarters "How can I help, Admiral?" He asked.

Adama leaned forward in his chair "I've noticed how deadly those Mobile Suits of yours are." He said, "From what your leaders told me, when we reach Earth, we might get involved in a new war, and our Vipers, while capable, just can't compete with a Mobile Suit on their own."

"You want me and Ron to design a new mass production Mobile Suit for the Colonial Fleet?" Jaden asked, and Adama nodded. "Yes." He said, "And I want you to help train the new pilots. Once they're fully trained, they can train more prospective pilots."

"Admiral, that's going to be a tall order." Jaden pointed out, "I'm a combat pilot, not an instructor."

"Then make your job easier, Commander." Adama said, "Design a Mobile Suit that our pilots can easily transfer into from a Viper or Raptor." Jaden sighed "Admiral, that's going to be an even HARDER one." He said, "While we _have _used Transformable Mobile Suits, and built some, _making _them can be tricky, especially when making them Mass Produced. There can't be a single detail out of place in the designs of building, or else you could end up crushing the cockpit, and the pilot inside."

"I'm sure you and Commander Pinkerton can do it." Adama said, "They once said he couldn't build a Viper that could use an FTL drive. To prove them wrong, he helped design and build the next Mk VIII Viper. He is a master engineer. And so are you, from what I've heard."

Jaden gaped at the praise. "That...Admiral, I-"

"Just salute, say you'll work on it with Ron, then leave." Adama said, with a small roll of his eyes "It's that simple, Commander."

Jaden did just that, barely able to do anything else. "Thank you, sir." He said, before he turned around and left the room.

* * *

_**Zeus**_**-subtype vessel **_**Vulcan **_**- main construction line**

* * *

The _Vulcan_, named after the second name of the God of the Forge and one of Ron's patron gods, was aptly named: weapons, ships and ammo of all kinds were built on the giant ship. And Ron was visiting to take a look at the new weapons of mass death they were building. "Commander!" A voice called out, as Ron turned to face Gregory Alterman, the _Vulcan_'s construction chief, walk towards him.

"Greg, how are those new guns?" He asked, and Greg grinned "I KNEW this wasn't just a pleasure trip, sir." He said.

"When it comes to weapons R&D, it's business AND pleasure." Ron said with his own grin "You know that better than anyone!" Greg smiled. He wasn't crazy, but he loved making shit that made other peoples' lives SUCK.

"Follow me, sir." He said as he led the Commander into the bowels of the ship, when they arrived they found where the new G36KB-A1 beam assault rifles were being built. Like their bullet firing parent, the B-A1 could be fired on full auto and had 30 'rounds' in the redesigned E-Cap. "Took a while to make the cooling system work, but they work like a dream."

"To the Cylons, I think these things will be more like a fraking nightmare." Ron said, "And the specials?"

"The specials." Greg began, as he pulled out what looked like a H&K PSG-1 sniper rifle. "This is just the prototype, but it's a long range beam rifle: can take out a Cylon at five klicks."

"Nasty." Ron said, nodding approvingly as Greg then he pulled out what looked like an RPK light machine gun, complete with a drum magazine. "Is that the LMG version?"

"Yes, sir. Prototype, of course." He said.

"Of course." Ron said, as he picked up the RPK and smiled. "Jaden is going to be a VERY happy man." He looked down its sights "An extremely happy man." He looked at Greg. "How long until you can start producing these?"

"A few weeks at most." Greg said, "Still need to work out the E-Cap problem: the drum mag only has enough for 40 shots. An LMG needs a lot more then that."

"And the sniper?"

"That thing is far too powerful to be in anyone's hands." Greg said, "Even yours, sir." Ron winced. "That's a scary weapon. I like it." He walked back to pick up a pair of G36KB-A1s. "Thanks!"

* * *

**Garden of Thorns Hanger - **_**Morningstar**_

* * *

Once again, Jaden found himself on the bridge of the Former _Morningstar, _however with all of the upgrades they had given the old _Pegasus-_class it was a new an improved warship now. Fully completed, using similar methods used in refitting the _Sydney, _mixing Colonial and Terran technology together. Its M.S Capacity had been increased to 16 Mobile Suits, with eight M.S in either of its front 'legs' and has its own complement of 24 Viper as well. All of this, plus its new FTL Drive, Gravity Control, and systems, the warship was now finished, and a true force to reckon with now. It could probably go toe-to-toe with a few Basestars if need be.

Now, Jaden was looking through the list of potential Command staff from Colonial, and Terran rosters. The crew itself had already been selected, now Jaden was just looking for those who would be manning the stations on the bridge, which was much less open as before, as the bridge now shared some stations and appearances that a Battlestar's CIC would have.

"The Captain's work is never done." Jaden heard Ron's voice, as he looked to see the CCE Pilot/Engineer walk in. "Nice redesign. Reminds me of _Galactica_, in a way."

"That wasn't exactly the idea." Jaden pointed out, but Ron shrugged "I know: the idea was to maximize productivity on the bridge and make it less...open. Great job on THAT part. Looking for a name?"

"Command staff, actually." Jaden said, "Considering this ship is going to go into battle, she's going to need a good captain."

Ron chuckled. "Major Ramius from Hades Station wouldn't be a bad command choice." He said, "She's handled _Orion_ and _Jupiter_-Class Battlestars as well as a _Hydra_-Class cruiser."

Jaden nodded his head "I'll consider it." He said,in a tone Ron knew all too well.

"Jaden, what's on your mind?" Ron asked, and Jaden sighed.

"Admiral Adama asked me to work with you and design a new Mobile Suit..." He began

"Not that hard to do."

"...and make it easy for Viper and Raptor pilots to transition to."

Ron got the point. "Oh." He said, "A transforming MS. Frak."

Jaden nodded as he sighed. But suddenly, Ron's ubiquitous light bulb reappeared over his head. "Hey... why don't we take a good look at transforming Mobile Suits that have been built before?" He said, "Maybe there's a few that'll make designing and mass producing them easier."

Then the light bulb appeared over Jaden's head this time, as he slapped his forehead "The fucking Methuss! Why didn't I think of that?!"

Ron, as ever when involving Minovsky technology and to a lesser extent Mobile Suits, was clueless. "You lost me." He said, before Jaden sighed.

"The MSA-005 Methuss." He said, as he pulled up the schematics and images of the machine on the front view screen "It was a simple transforming Mobile Suit: cheap, easy to build and easy to maintain. It was the basis for the Zeta project, which produced the Zeta Gundam."

"I've heard of that evil motherfraker:" Ron said, "Didn't that thing drive its' designer up the wall, across the ceiling and back to the floor during that last battle of the Gryps War?"

"...If you mean as crazy as us, then yes." Jaden said, "Since you've taken to piloting the Delta Gundam-"

"Like flying a Viper."

"Maybe we can mix the relatively high performance of the Delta Gundam with the ease of maintenance of the Methuss?"

Ron smirked that evil smirk. "Going to have to downgrade it slightly if we want to make it easy to pilot and maintain." He said, "Jaden, you are a genius of the highest caliber."

"Just doing my job, Ron." Jaden said with his own evil smirk, and thus the universe suffered another terrible, terrible feeling of impending DOOM.

* * *

**Cylon Fleet - Five jumps from the Colonial/Earth Fleet**

* * *

Cavil grinned like an evil maniac. Technically, he WAS, but that's beside the point. Ever since they encountered those Earth ships and their machines that they have recently discovered were called 'Mobile Suits'. The Cylons had had nothing but trouble, as their Raiders stood almost no chance against these machines.

Now, though, the tables were about to be turned. They used data they had taken from their last encounters (which also cost them a Resurrection Ship) and basic designs of the Raider and Centurion to build the giant weapon in front of him. It was a massive spaceborne Centurion, mixing the old with the new. They had installed a Raider's brain into the machine, allowing it to use the experience of the Raider and the all-round nastiness of the Centurion.

The Cylons were building more of these monsters, although less armed and armored. The Terrans and their new friends wouldn't stand a chance in hell against these new machines.

At least, that was the plan.

* * *

**Asteroid field - Day One of Mining Operations**

* * *

The Colonial mining vessel _Majahual,_ along with several other similar vessels now resided within the Asteroid Field of a recently discovered Star System. The System itself consisted of one Sun, three planets, and the asteroid field. None of the planets were habitable, as the one closest to the sun was a searing rock, the furthest was a small cold lifeless planet, while the third was a large Gas Giant, similar to Icarus.

The _Majahual,_ along with the other vessels, were being used to mine 'strategic minerals' for the Fleet. Recent surveys of the asteroids discovered they contained the perfect minerals to produce additional Mobile Suits, Vipers, Raptors and other necessary vehicles and equipment. As these vessels mined, they were being protected by the Battlestars _Galactica, _and _Sydney,_ along with several smaller vessels. While these vessels mined the Asteroids, the rest of the fleet had gathered at the Gas Giant where they were gathering additional Helium-3, in order to produce more Mobile Suits.

Within the Asteroid Field, a small patrol of four Viper with support from five Colonial TMSF-081 Patriots (Now in colonial colors, white with Red Trimming like a Viper ) made their way through the asteroids, keeping their eyes open for Cylons. The flight was, of course, Shinji's team, Angel Flight. "Another three hour tour in these fraking things." Asuka griped, "Come on, Shinji! Why the hell did you volunteer us for this?!"

"_Captain Ikari did not volunteer us, Lieutenant Sohryu._" Rei said, "_Commander Pinkerton assigned us because of your actions toward Commander Takeo._"

In her cockpit, Asuka fumed. So what if she made a drunken pass at him? She was wasted and couldn't tell Shinji from Jaden. "_Stop it!_" Shinji said, ending the fight before it could get any bigger "_We're supposed to be watching out for Cylons, not fighting with one another!_"

"_Understood, Captain_."

"Stop kissing Shinji's ass, Wondergirl!" Asuka retorted, "That's MY job."

However, before the conversation could degenerate any further, a voice broke in. "_This is _Sydney _Actual:_" Ron's voice was heard, "_Shut the hell up and continue your patrol. You're giving me a headache, and that is NOT a good present to give me_!"

Asuka and Rei shut up, not wanting to piss off Commander Pinkerton. "_What's up, Commander? Late for your date with Captain Milsteen_?"

"_Bullhead, Actual: my personal life is none of_-" Ron began, however suddenly Giant bullets flew toward the Vipers. "SCATTER!" Shinji shouted, as the the Vipers and Patriots darted away as the bullets passed by them. The Colonial Mobile Suits opened fire with their machine guns at where the bullets came from, but scored no hits and only hit Asteroid rock.

"_What the hell was that?_" Asuka shouted, as their Vipers formed back together, while the Patriots scanned the area, searching for whatever fired at them.

"_I don't know,_" Rei said, "_I did not get a good look at it. Was it a Raider?_"

"I don't think it was a Raider..." Shinji said, as he watched the Patriot's move slowly through the field, keeping an eye out. However suddenly, he saw something move within the shadow of an asteroid where a Patriot was moving next too. "Patriot Three, behind you!"

The Patriot moved to respond, but it only moved enough to watch as a figure emerged from the shadows, and a long sword stabbed into its torso, killing the pilot as the machine exploded soon after. Shinji cursed as he moved his to face the machine, in view of his Gun Camera. From out of the smoke and fire of the ruined Patriot, now resided a clean silver and Chrome plated machine of death, with the same scanning Mono-eye on a Zaku or Cylon Centurion, with two massive shields on its arms with gatling guns, and a sword in its right hand, covered in oil.

"_What the HELL is that thing?_" Asuka shouted. "_Is that a Cylon Centurion?_"

"_No, worse._" Shinji said, his eyes narrowed, "_Its a Cylon Mobile Suit!_"

"_CALM DOWN!_" Ron shouted on the Comm, "_Angel Flight, Epsilon Team, RTB for debriefing_!" Shinji simply turned his Viper back toward the _Sydney_. "What, we're going back?!" Asuka shouted.

"We have orders, Asuka." Rei said, "Return to base."

Asuka snarled, but obeyed the order as she, the remaining Vipers and Mobile Suits followed his lead.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Sydney **_**- CIC**

* * *

"It's a fucking Mobile Suit." Jaden said, groaning as he and Ron looked at the Footage from Shinji's gun camera. "A CYLON Mobile Suit. Looks like someone upsized the Centurion, uparmored it and added a LOT of guns and verniers to the frame. Depending on how they built it, it either piloted by a Humanoid Cylon, or its like a raider and doesn't need a pilot. If that's the case..."

Ron finished for him. "The Cylons can milk every drop of performance out of it without worrying whether or not the pilot dies in battle." He then sighed in annoyance. "Had to happen eventually... the Cylons are beginning to wise up."

Jaden shrugged "Actually, it took the Cylons about the same amount of time it took the Earth Federation to begin production of their own Mobile Suits during the One Year War." he said, "Of course their early M.S were not that much to brag about, excluding the RX-78-2 Gundam of course... I will give the Cylons credit for making a good machine."

Ron shook his head "Can we get the _Argama_ in here?" He asked, "It's got five of those limited production Zeta Gundams: they could kill that thing with ease."

"As much as I would like to, the _Argama's_ protecting the H3 mining operation." Jaden said, "It will take too long for them to Jump in and deploy. We'd be better off if we took it out with what we have now. Not to mention we don't know exactly how many of those things could be out there, or how many the Cylons have produced so far."

"Frak." Ron muttered as he stood up straighter. "I'm going to _Galactica_ and brief the Admiral. To say he won't be pleased is a MASSIVE understatement."

He picked up the phone. "This is the Commander: prep the Delta Gundam for launch." He said before he hung the phone up, and Jaden rose an eyebrow "You're not taking your Viper?" He asked.

"If the Cylons finally smartened up, and started building Mobile Suits, I'm going to need to get used to using the Delta instead of my Viper." Ron said, as he scratched his chin "That reminds me: I need to install an FTL drive in the Delta Gundam. That Cylon MS probably has one, too, and that gives it an edge we don't have."

"Well, we're getting the materials we need to build them." Jaden said, "I got back with some of my guys, and their planning on building a few more ships into the fleet with the materials we harvest... we think we can make a few more _Salamis Kai_ and _Musai Kai-_class Cruisers, or make something _big _with what we get."

Ron rose an eyebrow at that "Define 'big'?" He asked, and Jaden smirked.

"You remember the _Birmingham-_class and _Dogosse Giar-_class I told you about?" Jaden asked, and Ron nodded.

"Yeah, the _Birmingham _was meant to be the Federation's new Flagship, but was destroyed in Stardust." He said, "The _Birmingham,_ and _Magellan-_class ships were all de-commissioned afterwards, in favor of smaller ships for carrying Mobile Suits like the _Alexandria _and _Salamis-_classes. Then the Titans made the _Dogosse Giar-_class using data from the _Birmingham_ to make a massive Assault Battleship... why?"

"Correct," Jaden said, still smirking "Now, take a _Birmingham..._ give it some of the _Dogosse Giar's_ M.S Catapults... and make it about three times larger than a _Mercury-_class Battlestar, and one oversized Flight Pod built right under the entire vessel. What do you get?"

Ron blinked for a few seconds. "Cylon nightmare fuel." Ron said with a grin "That thing will give them nightmares...IF some of them actually sleep."

"D'Anna says they still sleep," Jaden said, his smirk never leaving. "I got the go-ahead from Nasha and Zar to build this mean old ship... still haven't come up with a name for it, but I'm sure that'll come to me when it nears completion. Once we get all of the needed supplies from here, construction begins. When it's finished, it'll probably become the second most feared warship in the galaxy... aside from the _Zeus-_class of course. Anyways, see you when you get back Ron."

"I'll be back when I finish." Ron said, nodding "Maybe I'll visit the _Vulcan_ again and see how those LBMGs are doing."

Jaden groaned in annoyance. "Stop teasing me." He muttered, "I want those guns _so _bad..."

"I'm not." He said as he left CIC, heading for the hanger. The older man quickly made his way to the hanger, and to his Gundam. Like all MS launching Colonial vessels after their respective refits, the hanger had two gravity zones: one for conventional craft (Vipers, Raptors and other craft) and one for Mobile Suits. Gravity was shut off for the MS pilots to quickly get into their machines while it remained on for the Viper and Raptor pilots.

"Commander, the Delta's ready to go." The Chief Engineer near the Delta Gundam said, and Ron nodded "Good." He said, "I'm heading to _Galactica_ to brief the Admiral. Tell CIC to launch Alpha Team and Joker Flight for CAP duties. And tell Captain Milsteen that I'll see her later tonight, circumstances permitting."

THAT was the biggest surprise anyone had seen in the history of the Colonial Fleet: Ronald Pinkerton asking someone out on a date. It shocked everyone, even Jaden. The deck chief saluted and floated off back toward the gravity zone as Ron secured his helmet and flight collar, then chambered into the cockpit and shut the hatch. The Delta was raised to the pod catapult. "Commander Ronald Pinkerton, Delta Gundam, heading out." He said, and the catapult engaged and launched the Delta into the asteroid field.

"Why the hell does _Galactica _have to be-" He began to say, before his sensors went off. He looked to the source, and quickly spotted a pair of Mk III Vipers under attack, one on fire. "What the hell? Chaos and Inferno, Psycho: what the hell happened?"

"_That fraking Cylon shot at-_" Inferno said, but then more tracers hit Inferno's Viper, destroying it in a ball of fire as the Cylon M.S appeared from behind an asteroid, its Heavy Machine Gun raised from its recent discharge.

"Son of a bitch!" Ron shouted, as he immediately pulled the controls of the Delta towards the Cylon M.S "Chaos, break! I'll take care of the fraking bastard!"

"_No argument from me!_" Chaos said, and his Mk III broke off, heading for the _Sydney_. The CCE head looked at the Cylon MS on his screens. "Ok, you fraking asshole, NOW you die." He snarled, as he took aim with the beam rifle and opened fire, but the Cylon MS dodged with ease before opening fire with its' undersized 28mm cannons. Even the gun mounted guns in the Delta Gundam were bigger: 60mm.

"Hold still and DIE!" Ron shouted, as he fired again, taking out one of the shield cannons. "HA!" He cheered with a grin, however when the smoke cleared, to the Commander's shock, however, it pulled out a massive machine gun.

"Buh?" He said, before it opened fire on him. "HOLY SHIT!" Ron suddenly had to dodge bigger and deadlier bullets, before he snarled. "That's it. You die, and you die NOW!" He he shouted, as he pulled out a beam saber, and hid behind an asteroid, waiting for the bastard to get close.

And get close it did, as it rounded the Asteroid, wielding a physical sword. "You've gotta be KIDDING me!" He shouted, as he pulled out his second beam saber and the impromptu duel began, as their swords crossed against each other, each of them trying to gain an advantage over the other. "Frak! Cylon pain in the ass!" He shouted, "Just DIE!"

Ron managed to force up enough force to nick the head with the beam saber, causing a deep scar-like gauge in its' 'face'. Before the scarred MS could try to kill Ron, 35mm bullets hit the left shoulder shield. Ron looked at saw Jaden's Gouf AR Type rushing at them, his Heat Sword drawn and ready for Close Combat.

The Cylon knew that it was outnumbered, outgunned and possibly outmatched, so it kicked the Delta away as it moved away, activating its' FTL drive, jumping back home. "Son of a bitch!" Ron shouted, as his fist slammed against the Cockpit in frustration, before he sighed "Thanks for the help, Jaden."

"_No problem._" Jaden said, as he put away his Heat Saber "_That Mobile Suit seemed pretty decent... no beam weaponry it seems, just bullets like earlier mobile suits. Either way though, we gotta take that thing out ASAP next time we see it..._"

"No shit." Ron muttered, "An FTL-equipped MS piloted by a Cylon? That's number one on my Kill List."

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- War Room**

* * *

As the CIC was getting a MASSIVE upgrade, the War Room was being used as the new command center for the Battlestar _Galactica _for the time being. It gave them an advantage: the tactical table had been refit to the same standards as the plotting table on the _Sydney_, capable of projecting both real-time and recorded videos. Adama was using this advantage to look at the gun camera footage taken by the Delta Gundam during Ron's fight with the Cylon Mobile Suit that Tigh had coined 'Scar', due to the scar-like mark Ron had left on its faceplate. "Your thoughts, Commanders?"

"That thing killed one of my Viper pilots and butchered a Patriot." Ron said with narrowed eyes "It needs to die."

"Not personal thoughts, Ron: professional." Adama said, before Ron managed to calmed himself.

"It outclasses the Patriot, that's for sure." He said, "Whether or not that's because of the fact that it doesn't have a pilot is irreverent. What matters is that we need a new Mobile Suit to fight these things."

Jaden took over the briefing. "It fought the Delta Gundam on equal terms." He said, "I'm thinking that's because Ron didn't have a clue what he was dealing with. Now we have an idea, and our MS pilots can use that against it."

"We can also try upgrading the Patriots." Ron said, "I've noticed none of them actually carry beam rifles, but we can correct that little issue in a few days, given the chance."

Jaden nodded "Sounds good," He said "Only a handful of Patriots have be fitted to use Beam Weapons. Until then?"

"We move the _Ishimura_ into the field." Ron said, "It's a strip mining ship-"

"The asteroids are too close together." Jaden pointed out, "That's why we didn't move it in in the first place, Ron."

"It's a fraking Zeus!" Ron quickly retorted "It can take a planet falling on it and survive!"

"ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU!" Adama shouted, and the arguing Commanders faced the Fleet Admiral. "Gentlemen, enough. We have bigger issues than what ship goes where. The _Ishimura_ will go into the field, but only in areas large enough for it to move. I want the ore in this field. Even with the added Vipers and support craft from the _Mercury_ fleet, CCE, and the Earth Forces, we still need spare aircraft, Ships, and Mobile Suits. We cannot make due with hand-me-down Mobile Suits." Adama looked at Jaden. "No offense."

"None taken."

"Find a way to kill that Cylon MS, gentlemen, and make a new type for out pilots." Adama said, "Dismissed." Ron saluted while Jaden nodded before both men left the War Room.

"Do you actually think that that thing's better then the Patriot?" Jaden asked with a raised eyebrow, as Ron shrugged "I wasn't implying that it's outclassed." He said, "I WAS implying that our pilots just can't fly them, their too use to flying Vipers, not Mobile Suits. Even putting them through the simulators isn't helping that much. We need to start designing that new Colonial MS, RFN."

"Designing a Mobile Suit will take time," Jaden warned, "And the longer we take-"

"The more the Cylons will start pushing those things of of an assembly line and killing our pilots." Ron said nodding, "Then we had better get started, shouldn't we?"

"Yeah," Jaden said nodding "Actually, about that... I've been working on some new designs for Mobile Suits, and I think I got one that should suit Viper Pilots perfectly. I based the design off of an older 21st Century Fighter, the F-14 Tomcat. Its a transformable M.S like we planned, only it has more than just one form to turn into."

"Well, as long as our pilots can fly the damned things." Ron said, as they entered the hangar to return to their M.S "Hopefully we can build them quickly enough to take on those new Cylon Mobile Suits."

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Mercury **_**- CIC**

* * *

While all this was going on, Sasha was dealing with idiots. LOTS of them. A number of civilians had volunteered for MS training, and all of them were giving her a headache. "Zane?" She asked her XO who looked at her. "Ma'am?"

"Is it against regulations to toss pilot trainees out the airlock?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Damn it."

While their training had been going well, not one of them were conforming to Colonial military standards. That was the problem when you trained people under professionals that weren't technically military: they acted like civilians with combat training. "Put them through the wringer again." She said, as she massaged her head "And make sure they have a MAJOR attitude adjustment."

"The Husker Treatment?" Zane asked, and Sasha chuckled. "If need be, I can ask Admiral Adama to Glare them into proper soldiers." She said, "He's done it before."

The DRADIS beeped out a warning. "DRADIS contact. It's Raptor 915, assigned to the _Sydney_."

"Commander Pinkerton coming back to check on the new guns on the _Vulcan_?" She asked, and Zane shrugged "Maybe: he IS heading for the... No, he's on course for the Garden of Thorns."

Sasha pushed a button. She always enjoyed the port controller's screaming rants at Ron jumping into the harbor rather then docking.

"Ma'am, he jumped: he's inside the Garden."

Sasha put on her headset. "_YOU CRAZY BASTARD! STOP DOING THAT!_"

She smiled, taking sick enjoyment out of the fact that Ron, once again, gave the port controllers a heart attack. "I think you've been spending too much time around the Commander, ma'am." Zane said.

"Like Captain Milsteen?"

"Shutting up."

* * *

**Garden of Thorns - **_**Morningstar**_** - Work Shop **

**- 30 minutes later**

* * *

Ron looked at the designs on the screen of the Work shop. It looked, indeed, very much like an updated F-14D Super Tomcat, from what little he'd seen of the fighter in question. "The model number's a few confusing: CDF-01?" Ron asked, and Jaden shrugged.

"It means Colonial Defense Fighter One." He said, "I figured that I'd give it a Colonial-sounding designation."

"Thought of a name?" Ron asked.

"No, I haven't." Jaden said simply, as Ron chuckled. "Figures." He said, "The one thing neither of us can do very well is thinking up a name for our creations." On the screen, the Waverider-mode MS's wings swept back. "Reminds me of a lawn dart."

Jaden chuckled. "CDF-01 Dart." He muttered jokingly "Catchy."

Ron thought about it for a moment, before he grinned. "The least deadly projectile you can think of, and now it's coming to bite the Cylons in the ass." He said, "Dart it is."

"I'll get the blueprints copied and sent over to the _Vulcan_." Jaden said, "That ship's had a lot of firsts built there: first infantry beam rifles, first beam sniper rifles and now first Colonial Mobile Suit."

"Not yet, Jaden." Ron said, "We still need to get the blueprints there first: let's not get ahead of ourselves."

Jaden chuckled a bit "Right: forgot about that." He said, "Let's get the Blueprints there then. Once that's done, I can begin working on my next project."

"Next project?" Ron asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm planning a new series of Gundam-type M.S to act as Prototypes for new Models I may be creating," Jaden said, "Their going to use some new weapons I've been thinking of creating using some ideas the Colonial forces have given me, like Railguns. I plan on the Prototypes being finished and deployed on the _Morningstar _when she's finished."

"Well, I'd like to take a look at them later." Ron said, "Right now, I've got to get these to the knuckledraggers on Vulcan." Then, he snarled. "THEN I'm going Cylon hunting."

"Going to try taking out Scar?" He asked.

"No. I plan on making the fraker SUFFER." Ron snapped, "No one kills my pilots and gets away with it!" Ron left the room, but stuck his head back in seconds later. "And seriously, you need to find a new name for this thing!"

* * *

**Asteroid field - **

**Day 6 of mining operations - **

**Combat Air Patrol: Angel/Epsilon**

* * *

Shinji kept his eyes out for the Cylon MS, now known as Scar. The name came from Colonel Tigh, but it caught on across the fleet. Epsilon Team was still down a Suit, but now all of their machines had beam weapons: beam spray guns. Not the most effective of weapons compared to actual beam rifles, but they were better than nothing.

"Keep your eyes out, guys." Shinji warned, "Scar took out three of our Vipers near here."

"_Well, the Commander took off one of the bastard's legs._" Asuka said, but Shinji sighed. Though he loved Asuka, her cockiness was going to get her killed one day.

"_And look what happened to the Delta Gundam._" He retorted, "_Scar disabled it._" While Ron destroyed Scar's left leg, Scar poured an entire clip of 76mm ammo into the Gundam. It would be another week until the MS was ready to fight again, and the Commander wasn't much better, as the bullets ripped into the cockpit and hit his legs. He wouldn't be walking for another two months, if not a year, even with crutches.

That didn't mean he wasn't a menace: he had found a wheelchair and a large metal pole. Jousting, anyone?

Shinji shook his head, refocusing on the CAP. However at that very moment, DRADIS began going nuts, as Shinji looked up and his eyes widened as the chrome plated monster appeared behind an asteroid, bearing down on him. "FRAK!" He shouted as he vectored downwards, but Scar still crushed the Mk VII's engines by kicking it. "Bailing out!" Shinji managed from to eject from the Viper, moments before the Cylon sliced his Viper in half. He was alive, but now he couldn't support his flight.

"_BASTARD! THE ONLY ONE WHO GETS TO HURT SHINJI IS ME!_" Asuka shouted as her Mk VII poured bullets into the into Scar's right leg, distracting the Cylon MS long enough for one of the Patriots to get a clean shot at Scar's right arm with the beam spray gun. The single shot took off the arm, destroying the limb.

"_I got him!_" The pilot said, before the Cylon flew upwards towards the Patriots which began to open fire with their beam spray guns. Scar dodged every shot and managed to get close the distance, taking out its Sword and sliced Patriot 2 in half. The Cylon M.S dodged to the right to avoid another volley of Beams as he took out his Gatling Shield, and opened fire, hitting the torso of another Patriot, and destroyed it, killing the pilot.

Suddenly, Beam rifle rounds kept the Cylon from killing the rest of the flight, as a squad of RGM-89 Jegans closed on the chrome MS. The Cylon knew better then to stay and fight, so it jumped off. "_Fuck! Bastard got away!_"

"Sydney, _Patriot 1: we need a SAR bird out here!_" One of the Patriot Pilots shouted, "_Captain Ikari ejected and needs pick up!_"

"_Copy, P-1. I'm not picking up P-2 or P-4. Did-_"

"_Scar killed them, ma'am._"

"_Frak. SAR bird is on the way. At least we only lost two pilots today._"

* * *

**Medical ship **_**Rising Star**_** - Day 12 of mining operations**

* * *

Jaden shook his head at the sight. Ron, while unable to walk, was still working. "Ron, what the hell is wrong with you?" He asked.

"My body's broken." Ron said, sounding a bit cryptic "Does that mean my mind is broken?"

Jaden blinked "...I guess not." he said, before Ron chuckled a bit.

"I'm just bored Jaden." He said with a groan, "Any luck with that fraking Cylon bastard, Scar?"

"I wish." Jaden muttered, "The Cylons keep patching him up every time he retreats."

"Too bad they can't fix me that easily." Ron said with a dry chuckle, "Oh, that reminds me, any luck with the Resurrection Ship's sealed room?"

Jaden shook his head. In the few weeks they had the damned thing, they could not open the sealed hatches. "Nope. I've been more focused on getting the new Darts and their pilots ready." He said.

Ron looked annoyed. Then again, he couldn't get back at Scar, and that would piss anyone off. "Well, tell them to kill the fraker for me." He said.

"What are you working on, anyways?" Jaden asked.

"Improving the Delta Gundam." He said, as he continued working on the Blueprints "It's good, but just not good enough."

Jaden looked at the blueprints Ron was working on. He smirked a bit "Took you long enough to get a grip on Mobile Suit design." He said.

"Well, I work with you on a daily basis. It's expected that I learn SOMETHING." He said, as he glanced at Jaden. "What about you?"

Jaden sighed "Trying to think of a way to kill Scar..." he said, "If we can find a way to make him stop Jumping away, we can nail the bastard." He then glanced at Ron "Has the Colonials ever researched technology to stop ships from Jumping into FTL?"

"Yeah, back during the war." Ron said, "But like our own Laser weapons back then, Cylons destroyed the installations the research was being carried out in..." He then grinned a bit "But I think I can help you with that."

* * *

**Day 25 of mining operations - **_**Galactica **_**MS/Viper Team**

* * *

"_Entering sector 259._" Starbuck said on the Comm, "_Keep your eyes open, Kat: this is where BB and Jojo bought it._" In her Mk VII, Kat looked out her canopy. "Come on out, Scar, you ugly Cylon son of a bitch." She muttered, "Let's party!"

Starbuck snorted. "Y_eah, I don't think he's gonna RSVP, Kat._" She said, "_He prefers surprise parties. And he's a Mobile Suit, so killing him in a Viper is pretty much impossible._"

"Yeah, he'll be surprised when I blow his ass apart." Kat said, and Starbuck rolled her eyes. "_Yeah, that'll be the day._"

"Cut the chatter, people." Jaden said as his Gouf AR Type stalked nearby, planting odd-looking devices all over the place, onto asteroids and left floating. After 12 days of work with Ron, they had succeeded in developing the first few working FTL Cancellers, devices which prevented _any _ship, from Raptors to entire Warships, form successfully conducting a FTL Jump. Anything within their zone of effect would be trapped there. It took them a while to get them to work, but it was all worth it. Now Scar wasn't going to cheap-shot them anymore: it was going to DIE.

And while it was cruel, Jaden was using Starbuck and Kat as bait. Scar had a hard-on against Viper pilots, and it didn't seem to like Starbuck very much. He hid, waiting for the bastard to appear. When he did, he would throw the switch and then Scar would be trapped.

Jaden sat in the cockpit, his eyes closed as he listened. '_Okay... focus..._' he thought, trying to tap into his NewType powers like before. '_Where are you Scar... You gotta be here somewhere..._' Suddenly, Jaden felt a massive jolt down his spine as his eyes snapped open "Starbuck, Do a Barrel Roll! NOW!"

Immediately responding, Starbuck threw her Viper into a Barrel Roll, narrowly avoiding being blown to pieces by 28mm rounds. Scar was back. "There you are, you fucking bastard!" He shouted as he flipped the switch, activating the cancellers. Kat tried to attack the Cylon, but it batted the Mk VII away with its shield, damaging it beyond repair. But before it could go for the kill, Jaden darted from his position and slammed into Scar's side, forcing it away "DIE!" He shouted, as he kicked the Cylon away, and opened fire with his 75mm Gatling, but the Cylon dodged as it hid behind a asteroid. But Jaden was not deterred, as he rounded the Asteroid, picking out his Heat Saber. Scar was once again in his sights, drawing its own Sword before the two units clashed.

Suddenly, the Comm of his Gouf turned on. "_Lieutenant Commander Jaden Takeo._" A heavily mechanical, and emotion mute voice said, causing Jaden to blink in surprise. "_Can you hear me?_"

Jaden didn't need to be a genius to know who the voice belonged to, as the Cylon's Mono-eye glared at the Gouf. Jaden's eyes narrowed, "Scar." He said.

"_Yes, that is what you humans have called me._" Scar said, "_I suppose it is fitting... Tell me, Lieutenant Commander Takeo... how does it feel? To know pain? To lose friends and comrades?_"

Jaden's teeth barred as he pushed his Gouf's thrusters, forcing Scar back "You can just shut the fuck up!" He shouted, "You're going to die here, you bastard!" Sword met sword as the pair started what Ron began two weeks before.

"What's wrong, Scar?!" Jaden taunted, as he fired his 75mm Gatling, only for the Cylon to Slice it in half, "Can't jump?! You're a fucking coward is what you are!"

"_I am a warrior._"

"What you are is fucking DEAD!" Jaden shouted, as he hacked off Scar's sword arm, but Scar used his shield gatling to destroy Jaden's left arm, which took away both his shield and 35mm.

Instead of being demoralized, Jaden grimly smiled. "Goodbye, old friend." He whispered, before he shouted "And GO TO HELL, YOU FUCKING TOASTER BASTARD!" He sent the heat wire of his right arm to wrap around Scar, then pulled the Cylon MS toward him. "_We are deadlocked, Takeo._"

Jaden smirked, "No. I win." He said, as he activated the auto-destruct. "AND YOU DIE!" He got out of the Gouf, then a Mk VII flew up beside them as Scar struggled.

"_Grab on!_" Starbuck shouted.

"No need to tell me twice!" He shouted, as he grabbed onto the tailfin and Starbuck kicked on the afterburners. Scar looked at the retreating Viper, as if in shock, before the Gouf's reactor exploded, taking the Cylon with it.

Starbuck sighed on the Radio "_Takeo, you spend too much time with Commander Pinkerton. You're catching his crazy._" She said.

"'Catching his crazy'?" Jaden asked with a smirk, "Pot calling the kettle black, Thrace!" Starbuck simply laughed and vectored toward _Sydney_ to drop Jaden off before heading back to _Galactica_. "Takeo to _Sydney_: Scar is dead. Repeat: Scar is dead!"

Whooping and cheering was heard throughout the ship through the radio set in Jaden's helmet. "_Great job, Commander!_" Someone shouted on the Comm, "_You Toasted that Toaster!_"

Jaden smiled "You damn right I did!" He said, "Scar won't be causing us any more trouble from now on... gonna need a new M.S now though... " Starbuck arrived at the Sydney's port flight pod, and Jaden hopped off, landing on the deck as the female Colonial's Viper flew off, heading back to _Galactica_. "_Commander, I've got good news for you._" The _Sydney's _XO said on his Communicator. "_Commander Pinkerton's sent a gift to your quarters. There's an attached message there._"

Jaden blinked "He can't have heard of me killing the bastard so soon..." He muttered.

"_I don't think it has anything to do with Scar, sir._" The XO said, as Jaden shook his head as he entered the airlock. Once it repressurized, he entered the Battlestar, only to be surrounded by cheering crewmen. Four of them lifted the man onto their shoulders and carried him through the ship. "JADEN! JADEN! JADEN!"

"Come on, guys! Put me down!" He shouted, but they didn't listen, and continued carrying the Scrap Vulture through the halls. Eventually, though, Jaden escaped their clutches by grabbing onto an Air vent and climbed inside. He crawled through the vents, remembering the layout of the ship, as he eventually popped into the vent that was in his quarters.

He got to the room that was designated as his quarters on the _Sydney_, as he dropped down from the Vent he found a gift-wrapped box on his bed.

Jaden blinked "Ok, what the fuck, Ron?" He asked as he walked over to the box, and opened it. And his jaw dropped and his eyes widened "Oh... my... god...".

Inside were two guns: beam versions of the RPK-74M machine gun and XM500 sniper rifle. "Holy SHIT!" He picked up a note. '_Jaden, these just came from the Vulcan production lines and I thought you'd like them. And for the love of the Gods, DO NOT fire them on a ship! The sniper can and WILL punch through the hull! Have fun! - Ron_'

Jaden grinned like a madman. "Thank you, Ron!" He cheered.

* * *

**216 days after the Fall of the Colonies - Battlestar Dreadnought **_**Zeus **_**- CIC**

* * *

Despite the BSD's size, the CIC was the same size as the one on Galactica and her sisters. Of course, the CIC was also in the Cylon War-Era guise and was very automated. It was also wheelchair-friendly, as Lt. Colonel Mana Kirishima was finding out when her CO, Commander Pinkerton, wheeled himself into CIC, grinning like a loon.

"Shit. Whenever the Commander visits, something bad's about to happen." A voice said, as Mana looked at her XO, Major Musashi Lee Strasberg. Although the two had been friends since they joined the CCE, Strasberg was a pain in the ass. (See: Colonel Saul Tigh)

"Colonel Kirishima, Major Strasberg." Ron said, "I was wondering if you two would mind getting this ship in for its' long awaited refit."

"Refit?" Mana asked, "What refit?"

"With beam weapons and CTP-drive engines, Colonel." Ron confirmed, "I've made the arrangements."

"Sir, the _Zeus _needs to be on the line, defending-" Musashi began, but Ron cut her off. "We have 9 _Zeus_-Class BSDs with crews that are bored out of their wits, Major." He said, "The _Akron_ and _Macon_ can take up your post while YOU and your crew get some well deserved R&R."

Mana looked at the wheelchair-bound man. "There are days, sir, where I HATE you." She groaned.

"So does almost every Cylon in existence and about half the surviving Colonial Fleet." Ron said with a grin, as he wheeled himself toward the plotting table "Get in I have to order you, Colonel?"

Mana sighed. "No, sir."

"Good." Ron said grinning, "Then get your ass off this ship. I'll take command while you're gone."

* * *

_**Garden of Thorns - Military Ring - Agathon House**_

* * *

Sharon 'Athena' Agathon sat in a chair in the living room of the house that had been given to both her and her husband Karl. Ever since She and Karl were transferred from _Galactica _to _Sydney,_ there has been a drastic improvement in her life than living in _Galactica's_ brig. The people on the _Sydney _were not nearly as hostile towards her, in fact they treated her as an equal, both Terran and Colonial members of the crew, although she could still tell that they were keeping an eye on her, but she didn't mind since it was to be expected.

When not on duty on the ship, Jaden Takeo, the current leader of the Swords of Freedom's equivalent of CCE, was kind enough to give both her and Karl their own home in the Military Ring of the Garden of Thorns. He told her that it was the safest place for both of them, since there were still people in the Colonial forces who may not exactly trust them yet.

They both agreed with that, and Sharon was actually starting to like the house, and living in the colony. It felt like she was finally having a normal life again, with Karl, and eventually Hera.

She smiled a bit, as she glanced down at her well-swollen stomach. It would only be a short while until their child, which both Karl and her had agreed to call 'Hera' since they found it would be a girl, would be born. She would finally become a mother, and too the first Cylon/Human child. She was afraid Roslin or someone else among the Colonials would try something to kill Hera when she was born, or take her away. But Jaden, and his own Number 3 Cylon friend D'Anna has assured her that as long as she was on the Garden of Thorns or _Sydney, _nothing would happen to her, Karl or Hera at their watch.

The fact that Jaden, among many others in the colony, showed genuine care about her and Hera's well being, despite her being a Humanoid Cylon, gave her a bit of hope that it was possible for Cylons and Humans to coexist together.

There was a short knock on the door to her house "Sharon, you home?" D'Anna's voice was heard on the other end of the door. Sharon smiled "Yeah! Doors unlocked!" She said, before the door opened and D'Anna stepped in. Ever since they moved in, D'Anna had been stopping by while Karl was serving on _Sydney,_ just to make sure she was alright. Sharon and D'Anna had actually hit it off well with one another, becoming good friends.

"So, hows it going?" D'Anna said smiling "Hera doing alright?"

Sharon smiled and nodded "Yeah, she's been moving around a bit." She said, her hands moving to her swollen stomach "And she's kicked a few times too. And when she kicks, she _kicks._"

D'Anna giggled a bit as she sat on the couch next to Sharon "Sounds like she's gonna turn out just like you and Karl," she said, "I kinda envy you a bit, having a child..."

Sharon grinned a bit teasingly "Well, you could always talk to Jaden about that," she said, "I'm sure he'd _love _to help you out with that."

D'Anna blushed a bit "Sharon, its not like that..." she muttered, and Sharon rolled her eyes.

"Come on, D'Anna," she said, "Its obvious: You hold an attraction for him, and he _must _have an attraction for you. A blind person could see this! If this is because of the whole 'Your Cylon he's human' thing, look at me and Helo! I mean... granted it didn't start off as... _humble-_"

"You were trying to seduce him..." D'Anna pointed out.

"Not important, in the past, don't interrupt." Sharon retorted, "Anyways, even though it didn't start out as _humble, _in the end things have been working out. Especially recently with reuniting with the rest of the fleet."

D'Anna sighed, as she leaned back "I know... but..." she said, "With everything happening and all... would it _really _be wise to start up a relationship in all of this? We have the Resurrection Ship, sure, but... the Cylons could still attack, right?"

"Yeah, if they're stupid enough." Sharon said, "Which, all things considered, wouldn't surprise me." She then shook her head "D'Anna, if you want my advice: Just go with it! Gods know the sexual tensions between you two can probably be cut with a knife at this point!"

D'Anna blushed more "Not funny Sharon..." she pouted, but Sharon just smirked.

"Just doing what I can to help a friend, D'Anna." She said. "By the way, any progress on coming up with a new name for yourself? I'm tired of people asking if I mean you, or the D'Anna Biers being kept under watch on _Sydney._"

Glad to chance the subject, D'Anna nodded "I think I got one," she said, "Though I'm gonna ask Jaden, see what he thinks."

"Took you long enough," Sharon said, "I think you picked up on Jaden and Ron's inability to come up with names for things." D'Anna just rolled her eyes.

* * *

_**Cloud Nine**_** - Lounge area**

* * *

Jaden sat alone in the _Cloud 9 _luxury liner's bar. Due to intense hatred of the Cylons among the vessels in _Galactica's _fleet, it was highly advised that D'Anna shouldn't be onboard any of them, and Ron was busy getting _Zeus_ in for her refit, not to mention Cloud Nine wasn't exactly wheelchair-friendly, so he couldn't go bar hopping for the time-being.

Its been a few weeks since the defeat of Scar, and since then there had been no more Cylon attacks, allowing the fleet a long breather as they continued mining from the Asteroids and the local gas giant of the system. However recently, things have been going a bit bad on the Press-Military relations.

Apparently, someone managed to find out that Sharon 'Athena' Agathon was in the fleet, as Adama had been meeting with her regularly for gathering intel on the Cylons. What was worse is that somehow they also heard rumors about both D'Anna's being held both on the Garden of Thorns and on the _Sydney._

Needless to say, it was bringing up questions. At this point, its only rumors that Sharon is in the fleet and the D'Anna's are Cylons. But it was sowing some mistrust among the Colonials, and both militaries have been doing their best to plug up wherever these rumors are coming from.

However, Jaden was currently more focused with his current predicament: Getting out of the 'clutches' of the drunken woman now trying to get him in a sexual tryst: the woman known throughout the fleet as Ellen Tigh. He could now see why Ron seemed to avoid this woman at all costs: she was a _drunk _and he got a feeling he _should _be wearing a hazmat suit around her for some reason.

Finally, however, after he had finished his drink, his Communicator went off and Jaden sighed in relief '_Thank sweet merciful God._' he thought as he turned to Ellen "If you excuse me Miss Tigh, I got a call." He said as he stood up and walked away. As he left, he began to answer the phone but he didn't see where we was going and almost bumped into a group of four people who walked into the bar. "Ah, excuse me." Jaden said, "Didn't see ya."

"Its alright," A woman said, as Jaden glanced and saw the woman in question walk by, meeting up with three other men. Suddenly Jaden got a strange tingling sensation in the back of his head, signalling his Newtype senses were acting up again. '_What?_' He thought, '_What's going to happen?_' He glanced around the bar, but saw nothing out of place. Just whatever else you'd expect from a luxury liner's bar.

Sighing, he proceeded out of the Bar as he answered his communicator "Jaden here." He said.

"_Jaden, its Ron._" Ron said, "_Head over to the Hell Hawk, I got those new Gundam Prototype specs you sent me. I got a few ideas for them, but it's best I discuss them with you in person. Where are you?_"

"_Cloud Nine_," Jaden said, "Just got out of the bar, but I'll take a shuttle to the _Hell Hawk _in the Garden hanger_._"

"_Yeah, see you-_" Whatever Ron was going to say, was cut off as a fire alarm went off behind him. Jaden twirled around, just in time to watch as the pressure door slammed shut in the bar, followed by the sound of guns going off. "Oh shit!" Jaden shouted.

"_Jaden? Jaden what's going on?_" Ron asked, "_What's happening over there?_"

"Ron, I got bad news." Jaden muttered, "I think _Cloud Nine_ has a Hostage Crisis on it's hands now!"

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- CIC - same time**

* * *

"Colonel Tigh, Admiral?" Both men looked at the wireless operator taking Dualla's place. "You need to hear this."

Both men picked up the phones. "_Saul?_" A voice said, and Tigh's eyes widened at the sound of his wife's voice. "Ellen?" He asked, "What's wrong?"

"_They're holding us hostage._" Ellen's panicked voice said, "_They're threatening to kill us!_" Suddenly Another, more angry, voice replaced Ellen's suddenly. _"My name is Sesha Abinell._" She said "_I have seized control of the _Cloud Nine_ lounge... and held the people in it hostage._"

Tigh tried to keep himself calm. "What do you want?" He asked, which was followed by a pause.

"_What I want... this is not about... what I want._" She said, "_The Colonial Fleet has become a Cylon-occupied territory. You are working in collusion with two Cylon agents- the very same model of Cylon who tried to murder you, Admiral Adama, on your own ship and the same one that nearly made the Fleet turn against you! We want Sharon Valerii and D'Anna Biers. You have two hours._" The wireless went silent.

Adama looked at Gaeta. "Get me everything you can on a Sesha Abinell." He ordered.

Gaeta nodded "Yes, sir." he said as he got to work. Adama started at Tigh, who stared right back, as they knew that _this _was serious.

* * *

_**Later, Battlestar **_**Sydney **_**CIC**_

* * *

Jaden had left _Cloud Nine_, and joined with Ron, Admiral Adama, Rear Admiral Urei, Colonel Tigh, and Gaeta, who was now reading off what he had learned of Sesha Abinell. "Sesha Abinell... fleet records indicates she's the widow of a Ray Abinell, was a casualty of the _Greenleaf _freighter when the Cylons hit it about ten weeks ago."

"Widow." Adama muttered, as he looked at Gaeta. "Who do we have aboard _Cloud Nine_?"

Geata looked at the _Galactica _R&R schedule. "Uh, rotation schedule shows... Captain Adama, half a marine squad, and Starbuck's already there on R&R." He said. Adama looked at the _Sydney_ wireless operator. "Get me Starbuck right away." He said, and the Operator nodded"Yes, sir."

Ron shook his head. "I helped design that ship." He said, "There's only one way in or not of that room: the pressure door. If we try blowing it open, we'll need so much G4 we'd risk killing everyone inside." He then blinked as he looked at Jaden. "The beam rifles." He said, "The sniper version can cut through it like a superheated knife through warm butter."

"You warned me not to use it on a ship." Jaden said, "It would punch through the hull too easily."

The wireless operator looked at the supreme commanders of the Fleet. "Starbuck on the line, sirs." She said, and Adama picked up the phone. "Adama."

"_Sir, I've got some of the _Pegasus _Marines here with me._" Starbuck said, and Adama nodded. "I've got two strike teams inbound to you." He said, "ETA ten minutes."

"_We'll have plenty of firepower, so that's good._" Starbuck said, "_But I'm concerned with limited access points._"

Again, the wireless operator looked at them. "Admiral." She said, "It's Abinell."

Adama curtly nodded. "Keep Starbuck on the line with us." He said, as the hostage taker was then keyed in. "Adama."

"_We're losing oxygen._" Abinell said, "_If it's not restored, the hostages die._"

Adama scoffed. "Then you'll all die." He said, "Because this is over."

"_Not until the Cylons are dead._" She snarled, "_I'm willing to die to see this through. You willing to risk your son's life?_" Silence reigned over CIC. "_Suddenly you're listening._"

Ellen's voice was heard in the background. "_Godsdamn it, give her what she wants! Give her the Cylons!_" She shouted, but Ellen was too stupid to realize that if they negotiated with Abinell, that everyone would pull what she was pulling and that chaos would rule the Fleet.

"_You're all alone on this, Admiral._" Abinell said, as Adama looked at Ron and Jaden. They gave him a weaker version of the Adama Glare. It didn't work on him, but he got the point.

"I'm not gonna sacrifice a military asset on your altar of revenge." Adama said.

"_What are you talking about?_" She demanded, "_This isn't a-_" Adama interrupted her. "You said this was about us being played by the Cylons." He said, "But it isn't. It's about the loss of your husband, and I understand that. It's about you wanting to strike back, and I understand that too. But we've all lost people that we care about. And we learn to live with it."

There was a short pause before Abinell spoke again _"I am sure you are aware, Admiral, of the concrete evidence..._" She began "_That Caprica's defenses were compromised by a Cylon agent who infiltrated the Ministry of Defense on the eve of the attacks!_"

Adama rebuffed her quickly. "People look for complicated answers when something terrible happens." He said, "Maybe we were just caught by surprise and were beaten. And maybe we have to learn to live with that."

"_And maybe you are just missing the point!_" She snarled, "_You were infiltrated. You: the military! And you are being infiltrated again right now. You can sit there and pretend you know what you're doing, but you do not. You are being played. And the rest of us do not want to go down with your ship! I want this air system restored, right now. one person comes in alone, fixes it, leaves. Anything goes wrong, somebody gets hurt, it's on your head!_" She hung up on them.

"Rude little bitch, huh?" Jaden muttered as Adama looked at the wireless operator. "Keep a direct line open to _Cloud Nine_." He ordered. The Operator nodded as Tigh looked at Adama more intently. "What do we do?" He asked.

"We repair the air system." Adama said, letting that sit in before he looked at Tigh. "Saul, we can't give her Sharon or D'Anna. I hope you know that, right?"

Tigh sighed "I know that." He said, "We can't start dealing with the terrorists. We start now, it'll open the floodgates, and it'll never stop." He then leaned forward a bit "But by the way, it's not 'Sharon' or 'D'Anna'. They're fraking Cylons."

Jaden's hands balled into fists, before Ron gave Jaden a quick look. Jaden understood quickly as he moved behind Tigh, grabbed the back of his head, and slammed it down on the Plotting table. "Are we learning anything yet, Colonel?" Ron growled out.

Before it could degenerate into a shooting match, the wireless operator interrupted again. "Admiral? It's Captain Thrace." She said, as Adama picked up the phone while Tigh stood back up, still glaring at Jaden who ignored it. "Sitrep."

"_I had one of the Cloud Nine techs double-check the oxygen feed in there_." Kara said, "_There's nothing wrong with the air._"

Adama lightly shrugged. "Could be a glitch." He said.

"_Or someone fraked with a CO2 sensor, sir._" She pointed out, as Adama looked at Ron. "Lee?" He asked.

"Might be." Ron said nodding "I think he spends too much time with Captain Thrace: he's starting to emulate her."

"Admiral, we cannot and will not hand over D'Anna or Sharon." Jaden said.

Adama sighed "Commander, I will not sacrifice military assets to terrorists." He said, "Regardless of your personal feelings, that is exactly what they are."

Jaden's eyes narrowed "Admiral," He said, "Just because an Eight shot you does not mean you and everyone else here get to consider this one and D'Anna just machines!"

There was a silence on the bridge, before Adama looked at everyone in CIC. "Clear CIC." He said simply, and the Colonial officers quickly got the hell out of there. They didn't want to be anywhere near one of the famous Adama Arguments.

Jaden and Adama shared a stare down for a brief moment. "I know how you feel, Commander Takeo." The Admiral said, "Lieutenant Agathon feels the same way about the Sharon copy that you have in the Garden of Thorns. But they can be reborn. Those hostages can't."

"Admiral, They're still people." Jaden retorted. "They're not just a pair of machines!"

"Commander, she is a Cylon." Adama said, "Regardless of whether or not you love her-"

"Hold on a second!"

"-I will not let personal feelings decide this." He finished "Work with Commander Pinkerton. Find an alternate access route into that bar." With that, Adama left CIC, and the operators quickly returned.

Jaden stood there, his eyes narrowed and fists balled. "Oi, kid." Ron said, as Jaden looked to face him. "Let it go. They don't know about the Resurrection Ship. That's why they're asking for D'Anna and Sharon."

Jaden let out a sigh "I know..." he muttered, "But this whole damn thing..." he then looked at Ron, and nodded towards the door as they both left CIC for some more privacy. "You want me to be honest Ron?" Jaden asked once the door to CIC closed behind them. "I'm really starting to get sick with how stupid a lot of the Colonials are. "

"Well, the CCE takes in the more accepting people as well as the smartest people in the Colonies." Ron said, "That leaves the stupid ones for the rest of humanity."

Jaden shook his head "It's just... I've been hearing a lot of people asking _why _the Cylons are trying to wipe them out... yet they keep calling them Toasters, Skin-Jobs, hating Cylons... even before the fall, I've seen a lot of videos of Colonials insulting the Cylons, and before they rebelled, when they were _clearly _showing signs of sentience, you continued to force them to be used as Labor forces. The Cylons hate you because you hated them! Its like a parent continuously beating their child, but when the Child grows up and learns to fight back, its obviously going to pick up on that same hate!"

"Not everyone hates them. Beca Kelly thought like you did. You know what happened to her?" Ron didn't wait for Jaden to respond. "An experimental Cylon snapped her neck. When the CCE was founded at the end of the War, we gave the Centurions a chance to come back and work with us, not for us. They knew we were telling the truth, but said that they had a new destiny."

"Yeah, I read up about that, and Kelly." Jaden said, "The difference is that Becca was a full traitor, she thought that the data would force the Colonials into the Negotiating table, but how would she know if the Cylons would just stop there, and not keep advancing? The difference between me and her is that she put too much faith on the Cylons and not enough on the Colonials." He then sighed a bit "If there's one thing that all of the wars on Earth has taught me... its that the world won't change for the better unless we trust and understand one another. Trust is vital in a peaceful world..."

Jaden shook his head "But... time and time again... Trust never lasts long." he said, "Gihren Zabi and Neo Zeon ruined the trust between the Space Colonies and the Earth, and the Titans made it even worse as the Colonies began to fear the people on Earth. Here, it's the same thing, the Colonials tried to force the Cylons to do what they want, and when they didn't they tried to destroy them, and the Cylons rebelled. The Cylons began to hate the Colonials, and resulted in the Colonials hating the Cylons. Unless people change, Human and Cylon, or Earth Elite and Spacenoid... this will keep happening over and over again."

"All this has happened before. All of this will happen again. Scroll of Pythia, first verse." Ron shook his head as they got to the hanger bay. "It takes a smart and brave man to overcome hate, or a man who has never known it to erase it from people's hearts. You and Helo MIGHT be the ones to do that. But none of it is going to matter if we don't get those people out of there. Now how the hell are we going to convince them that we're giving them Sharon and D'Anna without actually DOING it?"

Jaden shook his head, before suddenly he blinked as an idea crossed his mind as he grinned "Ron... I've got an idea!"

* * *

**Colonial-controlled Resurrection Ship - 15 minutes later**

* * *

"This is among the craziest and grossest ideas either of us has ever come up with." Ron said, as two medics lifted a spare Number Three body out of a tub in the Resurrection Ship.

"Admiral's already sent in Starbuck for recon, and she killed one of the bastards and shot Apollo by accident." Jaden said said, shaking his head "I think he'll give them Boomer's body: the one Cally killed a few months back? Problem is, that's not going to work with D'Anna: I'm not killing the copy we found in the Fleet."

"So you're using a spare body." Ron said sighing "Still gross, man, but whatever floats your boat."

Jaden glared at Ron. "The plan is that we give them the bodies after they open the door and the Marines take out the captors." He said. "I'm hoping that we can avoid killing all of them."

"Still a VERY wide margin for error." Ron warned as he flicked on a wireless set, keying into a Comm between Adama and Abinell.

"_Hold your fire._" Adama said, "_I'm giving you the Cylons. But they won't be alive._"

"What does that mean?" Abinell demanded, "That is not the deal."

"_It means that you've convinced me that we may have been played._" Adama said, "_And if that be the case, and she's been playing with me, then I can't take any more chances. So you make up your mind. If you want Sharon Valerii and D'Anna Biers, you can have them. But on my terms. I give you the bodies, you give me the hostages._"

Abinell gave in. "_Done._" She said, before the line was cut.

Jaden looked at Ron in shock. "How-" He began, but Ron shook his head "I know Bill Adama like the back of my hand." He said, "He might not like Sharon or D'Anna, but they ARE sources of intel that we need. He might come around, though. Just give him time." The medics took the body and left the chamber. "Fingers crossed on the rescue op."

* * *

_**Cloud 9**_** - 20 Minutes Later**

* * *

Jaden followed the team of Marines, and Adama as they brought the two fake bodies of Sharon and D'Anna on stretchers through Cloud 9 to the Lounge. After passing a shaken Starbuck from the infiltration from before, they approached the door to the lounge.

When they reached the door, Adama left with the Marines, but Jaden, wearing a disguise to avoid being spotted, wheeled the two Stretchers forward. He then activated the link to the Room "I've got the bodies of the two Cylons," he said. "Open the door, and I'll bring em in."

There was a short pause, before the man answered "_We're opening the door,_" he said, "_But if anything goes wrong, we start killing hostages._"

"Right," Jaden said as the doors opened as he wheeled the two bodies in. Standing at the door was a man, and Abinell herself. When he brought them in, she removed the covers which hid their faces, revealing that they were a Sharon and a D'Anna.

She then raised her Intratec CAT 9 pistol, and fired four shots, two in each of their heads. Jaden looked up at her, and saw a few tears strolling down her face. "Its over..." she whispered.

However, it was at this moment that Jaden looked at the body itself... and mentally slapped his face '_Adama, you IDIOT!_' he thought, as he could tell the body was showing signs of decay, and it literally looked like it was just taken out of a grave. '_You should of asked us to get a copy of a Number Eight while we were in the damn Resurrection ship!_'

Unfortunately, Abinell's friend noticed this as well. "Wait..." he said, "This isn't right..." He pulled the sheets down more, revealing the scars from her autopsy. "She's been dead for weeks." He said, before he moved to the other. He pulled it down, but the D'Anna body was not decayed, and looked genuine. "This one was killed recently, though, but they still got one of the Cylons."

Abinell's eyes narrowed "Kill the Girlfriend." She said, as they moved to kill Dualla. It was right then that several things happened: Billy Keikeya shoved one of the Gunman, grabbing his gun as he shot the Terrorist with a Skorpion Vz61 SMG. However he only hit the shoulder, as the Terrorist was only wounded before he turned and shot Billy who fell to the ground. However the Terrorist died soon after as the Marines charged in, and gunned down the other Terrorist. Abinell raised her own Gun, but Jaden acted first as he shoved her down to the ground, forced her face-down and brought out a pair of cuffs he had hidden "You're under arrest bitch." He muttered as he cuffed her hands behind her back.

Once the Marines had secured the room, Adama and Ron came in with the Medics, as they quickly headed for where Lee was lying on the ground. Jaden hit Abinell, knocking her out before moving to where Anastasia Dualla, who was over the body of Billy. Jaden checked his Pulse, but sighed as he shook his head, and Dualla cried.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- Sickbay - 6 hours later**

* * *

When Abinell woke up, she found herself cuffed to a bed. She raised her head "What the-"

"Don't bother." A voice said, as she looked at Jaden, who was wearing his Zeon Captain's uniform with the CCE overcoat, a Colonial Marine standing by his side. Jaden was giving her a hard glare that could potentially rival Adama's. "You're the only one of your little group that's still alive, Mrs. Abinell." He said, with a growl. "All of your friends are dead."

Abinell glared back at Jaden "One of them was my Brother-in-law," She said as she lied down in bed again. "But at least we were half-successful... we killed one of those Cylons."

Jaden shook his head "No, you didn't." He said, causing her to look at him in disbelief as Jaden looked at the Marine. "Secure her," he said, before he glanced back at her "We're going to take a little trip, Ms. Abinell."

* * *

**Resurrection Ship**

* * *

Jaden lead Abinell down the halls of the Resurrection ship after taking a Raptor there. His grip on Abinell was tight, as he didn't want her to escape, even though that would be pointless at this point. Abinell herself looked around, wondering why they were in the Cylon ship they had captured not long ago. "Why am I here?" She asked.

"We're here, Miss Abinell, to show you just how pointless your little revenge game was." Jaden growled, as they passed through another set of doors. Just as Abinell was about to speak, she looked what was inside and her eyes widened. Inside, there were tubs with bodies. Cylon bodies. Rows and Rows of Cylons bodies, including ones looking just like D'Anna and Sharon.

"My Gods," She muttered "What the-"

"Cylons, when their bodies die, don't really die." Jaden said, "As long as a vessel like this, a Resurrection Ship, is within range, their mind transfers into a new body. Even if you killed Sharon and D'Anna, they would've come back to life here." He then glared at her "The bodies you shot were both empty husks: One never had a mind in it, and the other one's mind left long ago. And even if they did, they would've just ended up right back here."

She looked at Jaden, and flinched at the cold hard gaze he was giving her. "All those people who died today was for NOTHING. Your friends, your Brother-in-law, and all and anyone else who died, died for NOTHING." He then grabbed her by the neck of her shirt "And their blood isn't on my hands. It's not on Admiral Adama's hands, their not even on the Cylons hands... Its all on yours."

Abinell started shaking uncontrollably, before Jaden shoved her down on the ground "Have fun." he growled as he turned and left the chamber, letting Abinell lose what was left of her mind.

Jaden walked down the halls of the Resurrection Ship, before he heard a voice behind him "Jaden!" He turned to see Ron, wheeling himself over. "Dude, no offense, but you took the whole thing _way _too seriously. I mean, even when I get conflicted, I don't actually mouth off to the one man who could destroy my mind just by looking at me! How the frak do you think I got like this in the first place?"

Jaden gave him a dark look. "My craziness didn't just _happen, _Ron." he said, "The absence of my Mom and dad were just part of it. A lot of other things happened who made me who I am today."

The older man looked at his younger counterpart. "You've got a story, Jaden." He said, "I've got an ear to hear it with, and neither of us have anything to do." He then tilted his head a bit "Let's get back to _Sydney_. And then BOTH of us are going to rant at one another. Am I clear?"

Jaden sighed, but nodded. "Yeah, sure." He said.

"Good." Ron said with a nod "Let's get to my shuttle: Raptors, as you no doubt have noticed, are anything but wheelchair-friendly." Ron led them back to the hanger, where the more wheelchair-friendly shuttle was waiting for them.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Sydney **_**- Commander's Quarters**

* * *

Jaden stared at the two bottles of alcohol on the table. "You know, I wasn't expecting booze." Jade muttered while Ron chuckled a bit.

"I'm no Tigh, but I do enjoy a shot every now and again." He said as he grabbed a pair of glasses. "It's also good for killing stress."

"Alcohol makes that worse." Jaden said with raised eyebrows, while Ron grabbed a bottle.

"Not this stuff." He said, "You see, we brew it ourselves, modifying the recipe so it acts like a relaxant. Sure, you still get shitfaced, but at least you don't get VIOLENTLY shitfaced."

Jaden chuckled a bit dryly as he poured a bit into his glass "Won't argue with that." He said, before he took a drink.

"Alright, kid." Ron said, "You know some of my story. Problem is, other then your parents up and literally disappearing, I know very little about yours. Here's the deal: we take a shot, we tell a tale. Deal?"

Jaden sighed "Deal." He said, as he leaned back in his chair. "Well... you know how and when I joined the Scrap Vultures," he said. "But... there's a reason why me and the Vultures threw our support in with Swords of Freedom. It happened about... six-seven years ago, U.C 0085."

"I was part of the Vultures for a few years now, and I was already pretty high ranked in it all. In UC. 0085, we were given a mission in Central America on Earth. A large chunk of space debris from a colony had crashed into a local river of a village, which dammed up their water supply. We were sent in to clear the debris, and we had to be well armed while doing in. Central America is one of the areas in the world that's crawling with Zeon Remnants and other Anti-Federation sympathisers. The area we were going was neighboring another set of such villages and towns that were very Anti-Federation, and there were rumors that Zeon Remnants were supplying them. The Town we were in though was more Pro-Federation, as such there was a bit of a small war going between the Pro-Federation and Anti-Federation towns and villages in the area."

"That sounds a lot like what happened on Tauron before the first war." Ron said, "Some were pro-Caprican, others were get-the-frak-off-our-planet. Ha'la'tha were the worst of that bunch."

Jaden nodded "Yeah, but anyways the town we were supporting was a mix of Moderates and Pro-Federation. Most of the men in the village were gone, left to fight against the Anti-Federation forces. Most of the people in the town were Elderly, women and children. I was in charge of the entire operation."

He then sighed a bit "While we were there... I met a young girl, about my age at the time... she had a child, a son... her name was Salma Ximena, and her kid was named Porfirio. She said her husband was in the Earth Forces, but died a year ago in Southeast Asia fighting Zeon Remnants. She was raising the kid herself all this time... I helped her out while we were there... she was grateful for all of the help... heck, the entire town was thankful we arrived to help them with the water. "

"So, what happened to them?" Ron asked. "I figure that something bad had to've happened if you're having a hard time telling me."

Jaden sighed heavily "...it was a month and a half later..." he said, "We were almost done with the mission... me and Salma... we grew close... hell, Porfirio was actually growing on me too... then it happened. A set of Rival Villages supported by Zeon Remnants attacked... no warning, they just attacked... us Vultures did our best to defend... but a lot of people died. The Village had no strategic value... hell they had _nothing _they could offer them, yet they still attacked just because they sided with the Federation." His fists then balled "Speaking of the Federation... not long after, in order to fight the Remnants, a nearby Feddie base picked up the Zeon movement, and sent in their own forces... from the Titans. It became a three way battle. Zeon, the Titans, and us caught right in the middle."

Ron's eyes widened a bit "Sweet daughters of Artemis, PLEASE tell me that they survived."

Jaden bowed his head "It was all chaotic... " he said, "It finally ended when the Zeon and their allies retreated, and the Titans went off to chase after them. I left to see if Salma and Porfirio were alright... I found their house... it got hit by stray weapons fire." He then shook his head "Then... the men of the town came back, hearing what happened... they then went off to hunt down the Zeon for what they did. We tried to stop them, tell them that it wouldn't bring them back... but they didn't listen... and they were practically slaughtered between the Titans and Zeon. It was after that battle... me and the Vultures saw how pointless the fighting was getting... neither of them cared about the well-being of the town... so we joined the SOF."

"My Gods." Ron muttered "I...I know that I can't understand what you went through. Doesn't mean I won't try. Something like that happened to me, but it was more...personal."

Jaden looked at Ron "Yeah? What happened?" He asked.

"I had a brother." He said. "Older by a year and a half. In fact, my callsign used to be his nickname. He was the insane one back then. He was involved with the first few battles of the war. Survived two years before I joined up. Then his Raptor was shot down near Scorpia. Where I was serving with Sergeant Major Thrace."

He sipped his glass. "He survived, but the Cylons got him. And all of them were 0005s. I wasn't kidding when I said they butchered their prisoners, if they ever got them. They tore him apart. Literally. Finger by finger, toe by toe, limb by limb. And I was watching the whole thing." He closed his eyes for a moment, before he continued

"Before they could finally kill him, I broke cover and started killing the Centurions. I tore them to pieces: snapped necks off, ripped off arms." He said, shaking his head "By the time I was done, that squad was nothing more than scrap metal. When I remembered WHY I was doing that, I found my brother and rushed to his side. You want to know the last words were?" Ron was crying now. "'You crazy bastard. I love you, Ron'. Then he died in my arms. I went into a rage. My entire squad had to subdue me before I gave away our position."

He downed the rest of the glass. "Three days later, I was reassigned to _Galactica_ as a knuckledragger." He said, "They thought I'd cause less trouble, that being away from that planet would...lessen the pain. It didn't."

"Dear god..." Jaden muttered, with a shocked face "I... I can't say I've seen what you've been through... I don't know what I'd do if I lost Matt or Amy."

"Then make sure you NEVER lose them." Ron said, "I am the only member of my family left: all of them died seven and a half months ago. In a way, I envy you. You still have your brother and sister while mine died 50 years ago."

Jaden nodded "May your brother's soul rest in peace, Ron." he said, raising his glass.

Ron followed suit after refilling his glass. "To those we have loved and have passed on. May the Lords of Kobol grant them eternal peace." He said.

"So say we all,"

"So Say we all."

* * *

**117Jorn: And there we go! One more Chapter for Law for the Wolves!**

**Ron the True Fan: Time for a review check. (Looks at the review list) HOLY FRAK! 50 in total! (Looks sad) But only six new ones...**

**117Jorn: Hey, don't worry! We still get to kill six Cavils! Now, how to kill these ones... *Snaps fingers* I got it! *Glances at Tex, sitting in a corner* Say Tex...**

**Tex: No. **

**117Jorn: You don't know what I was gonna**

**Tex: I'm not killing any more Cavils until I make my debut. **

**117Jorn: That's NOT what I was gonna ask... I was wondering if you had any of **_**those **_**with you.**

**Tex: *Is silent for a few moments, before nodding* Sure, I've been meaning to get rid of those things. *Stands up and walks away* **

**Ron the True Fan: (Looks at Jorn) Should I be worried?**

**117Jorn: You? No. The Cavils? *Turns on Monitor* Oh they will be more than worried. **

***On the screen, a crate is wheeled inside the Airlock where Six Cavils are waiting. Suddenly the box blows open, and dozens of Flood Infection Forms burst out and latch onto the Cavils, turning them into Flood Combat Forms***

**Ron the True Fan: Somehow, I did not see that coming. I'll get suited up and grab a flamethrower to deal with them. (Leaves)**

**117Jorn: Well, that's it for today folks! However before we go, I have a little something for you at the bottom of the page, as I will now be posting Mecha Pages for each new Mecha, starting with the Gouf AR Type and the Cylon's new Mobile Suit! Until next time, Ja Ne!**

* * *

**Mecha Page**

* * *

**Mobile Unit: **CMF-151 Cylon Hyperion Mk.I

**Unit Type: **Prototype/Limited Production Assault Mobile Suit

**Manufacturer: **Cylon

**Operators: **Cylon

**Overall Height: **21.43 Meters

**Powerplant: **Ultracompact Energy Battery

**Pilot Accommodations: **Pilot only (cockpit in torso)

**Equipment and Special Features: **Sensors, Range Unknown; Organic O.S;

**Armaments:**

1 x Type VI NC-N3B Anti-Armor Sword, stored behind waist, hand-carried when in use;

1 x NNO-N6S 76mm Heavy Machine Gun, stored behind waist, hand-carried when in use;

2 x M9090 28mm Vulcan Shield System, mounted on forearms;

**Technical and Historical Notes: **After their massive defeats against the Colonials due to the Terran's assistance with their Mobile Weaponry, it became evident to the Cylons that Mobile Suits were the future in combat, and as such they began development of their own Mobile Suit Forces. However it would take six months before their efforts began to show progress. But in the end it proved worth it, as the Cylons successfully built the CMF-151 Cylon Hyperion Mk.I.

The Cylon Hyperion Mk.I is the prototype to all Cylon Mobile Suits, using data collected from Raiders who fought against Mobile Suits of the fleets, and finding a superior counter. The Hyperion is heavily armored, with thick Chrome plating and extra armor. Its two primary thrusters on its back in the form of its wings give it a large amount of speed and maneuverability in combat.

But Armor and Speed is not the only features of the Hyperion, as its armaments are just as deadly. With its Shield Vulcans, it can let loose a swarm of 28mm Bullets upon its enemies, and it also mounts a Anti-Armor Sword, and a Heavy Machine Gun as well for additional offensive/defensive means.

The Hyperion was developed using the same technology behind Raiders, using a mixture of inorganic and organic components. However all Hyperions also contain a standard cockpit within their chest, which can be used by Humanoid Cylons should they wish to pilot the Hyperion's personally. It is a feature that is carried down by later mobile suits.

The Hyperion Mk.I first saw combat in the Isildur System, six months after the fall of the 12 Colonies and arrival of the people of the 13th Tribe of Earth. It was tasked to raid harass the Colonials who were mining from the Asteroid Belt in the system for strategic minerals. It was piloted by the mind of an Ace Raider that had seen much combat since the fall, and had a particular grudge against Viper Pilots. After one battle in particular, the Hyperion gains a scar across its Faceplate, which eventually earned him the nickname 'Scar'.

After Scar's defeat, it was not the end for Cylon Mobile Suits. In fact, it was quite the opposite. The Cylons were quick to begin Mass Production, with the development of the Hyperion and III beginning soon after. But it would take several more months until they had achieved large enough numbers for another full-scale attack. While the and III's were the most produced, the Mk.I was still created in limited production, piloted only by Cylon's top aces who request them.

**Appearance: **Looks like the ZGMF-515AS CGUE Assault

**Colors: **Silver Chrome Plated, like Cylon Centurions

* * *

**Mobile Unit: **MS-07B-3H10 Gouf All-Regions Type

**Unit Type: **Custom Limited Production All-Regions Mobile Suit

**Manufacturer: **Liberty Electronics

**Operators: **Swords of Freedom; Republic of Zeon

**Overall Height: **18.7 Meters

**Powerplant: **Minovsky Ultracompact Fusion Reactor

**Pilot Accommodations: **Pilot only, in standard cockpit in Torso

**Equipment and Special Features: **Flight/Space combat Systems

**Fixed Armaments: **1 x 3-Barrel 35mm Machine Gun, mounted on left wrist; 1 x Heat Wire, mounted under right forearm;

**Optional Fixed Armament: **75mm Gatling Shield, mounted on left Forearm over Machine Gun, Gatling Gun can be detached; 1 x Heat Saber Type D III, stored in Gatling Shield, hand-carried when in use;

**Technical and Historical Notes: **The idea of the Gouf All-Regions type dates all the way back to the One Year War, when the Principality of Zeon were searching for ways to both cheapen and ease the production of Flight-capable Gouf's, which lead to the creation of the MS-07H-8 Gouf Flight Types. However, as the war began going sour for Zeon, some individuals in Zeonic and ZImmad Companies saw that the future of the War was going to be fought in Space once again. As such they quickly began looking for ways to convert Ground-type M.S to be used in Space. For Zimmad, they converted their ever-lasting MS-09B Dom's into the MS-09R Rick Dom.

However, Zeonic had ideas for their own MS-07B Gouf's, as they used the same data gathered from the Flight Type, to generate a Mobile Suit which can function both in Space and on Earth superbly. However the war ended before a real Prototype was constructed, but the schematics lived, and fell into the hands of the Swords of Freedom four years later.

The schematics were given to SOF's own industrial company, Liberty Electronics. They improved the schematics of the new Gouf, before they created the first Prototype which was given to Lieutenant Commander Jaden Takeo, who was the first to pilot the MS-07B-3H10 Gouf All-Regions Type, or Gouf AR Type for short.

The Gouf AR Type proved a huge success, as if performed just as well as it does in space as it does on land. Its armaments mirrored that of both the Gouf Flight Type and Gouf Custom used during the One Year War, and using the same armor as both units as well. Its speed and maneuverability made it a challenge even for the most modern of Federation and Neo Zeon mobile suits if in the hands of an Ace.

Afterwards, the Gouf AR Type would continue to be produced and refitted to keep up with the times. After the Second Cylon Wars and Third Neo-Zeon War, these units would often be used in the new Republic of Zeon's Military force, as well as the Independent Corps of Engineers.

**Appearance: **Looks mostly like the MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom, but with the back thrusters and flaps of the MS-07H8 Gouf Flight Type

**Colors: **Blue with Black Trimming (Standard Gouf colors); Black with Red Trimming (Jaden Takeo Custom)


	7. Chapter 7

**117Jorn: Wazzup everyone! 117Jorn and Ron the True Fan here once again, and bringing you another chapter of Law for the Wolves! **

**Ron the True Fan: (Wearing his custom CMC-100 armor and holding a flamethrower) I am NEVER going up against the Flood again. (Looks at Jorn) And since Jorn here said that the RVB crew's going to be featured, we're featuring them in this chapter.**

**117Jorn: Right! So, let's not waste any time and dive right on in!**

* * *

_**260 Days after the Fall of the 12 Colonies - Garden of Thorns Hangar**_

* * *

The rebuilt _Pegasus_-Class Flight III assault carrier was ready for launch. However, they had ONE issue: no name. It took the remainder of the last month to find one, and both Commanders found it while reading, of all things, the Bible. The new ship would be named after a type of angelic being: _Archangel_.

And unlike four months back, President Roslin would be there for the naming ceremony, as she stood behind the same podium Sasha stood before months prior. "I am proud to present this, the newest ship built by both Colonial and Terran hands." She said, "It is a symbol of the cooperation between us, like the _Sydney_ before her."

Ron and Jaden waited impatiently for Roslin to finish the speech up so they could christen the ship and get it out of the hanger once and for all: it had been waiting to get back into space for almost a year and both men wanted to put the ship through its' paces.

Finally, Roslin finished as she walked over and handed them the bottle. "Gentlemen." She said. Like last time, both men tossed the bottle at the ship and the bottle exploded in a shower of alcohol and glass. Everyone in the hanger began cheering as cameras started flashing as the name of the vessel was revealed to the public.

Ron sighed as they left the deck "I hate the press." He muttered as Jaden chuckled a bit "We know, Ron." He said as they headed for one of the docking ports so they could get the ship out of the port. Ron's tried and true 'jump in, jump out' was a REALLY bad idea for the _Archangel_ as the ship was roughly the same size as a _Musai Kai_. The Garden wouldn't survive the distorsion. So they had to get it out the old fashioned way.

"Hard to believe it's been almost a month since that shootout on _Cloud Nine_." Jaden said, as they boarded a shuttle which took them onto the _Archangel _"I mean, it feels like it happened yesterday."

"Well, we're gonna need to get used to it." Ron muttered with a sigh, "I still feel like the Colonies just fell. Then again, until I was wounded by that bastard Scar, I was going what I did everyday. After that, I've been doing nothing but rest and relearn how to walk." Jaden nodded, noting that while he was out of the wheelchair at long last, he wasn't ready to fly anytime soon. The older man was using a cane to support himself as he walked.

When the Shuttle landed on the _Archangel, _both men headed straight for the bridge, passing by the mixed crewmen who were getting to their stations for the launch itself. Most of the crew wore the midnight blue uniforms of the CCE, but there were still a fair share of Zeon and EFSF uniforms mixed in as well.

"Major Ramius!" Ron said, as CCE Major Murrue Ramius looked at her CO. Her eyes widened "Frak. Attention on deck!" She shouted, as the CCE personnel stood at attention.

Ron just chuckled a bit "As you were." He said, "Major, take us out of the port, if you please." Everyone got to their posts and Murrue looked at the helmsman. "Mr Neumann, ahead one third. Take us out of the harbor."

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- port flight pod**

* * *

Galen Tyrol walked toward a cargo container that several of his knuckledraggers had surrounded. "Cally, what's going on?" He asked. Specialist Cally Henderson looked at Tyrol. "We were unloading one of the containers and then one of the crates shifted." She said, "So, we looked inside, and saw that something was moving."

Tyrol looked at her. "Did you call it in?" He asked, and she nodded "Yeah, we shut door, and the marines are on their way."

Tyrol looked at another knuckledragger. "Give me a light." He said as one of them handed him a light as he looked inside with the light.

"Chief, we don't know what we're dealing with here!" Cally warned, "Don't you think we should wait?"

Tyrol ignored her and opened the container. "Chief!" Tyrol entered the container and searched it with his flashlight, and found a young woman hiding in the back of the container.

The two of them stared at one another in surprise, before the woman spoke first "Is this the _Galactica_?"

Tyrol nodded. "Yeah..." He said, unsure what else to say.

"Are you Dr. Cottle?" She asked next, and It was at that moment that Tyrol noticed that she was pregnant. '_Oh, SHIT._'

* * *

**SOF assault carrier **_**Archangel**_

* * *

Shortly after its launch, the assault carrier entered formation with the rest of the fleet alongside the _Hell Hawk, Athena, _and _Sydney_. "DRADIS?" Ramius asked.

"Almost useless in this shit!" DRADIS Operator Jackie Tonomura said, "Fucking binaries are putting out so much EMI that I can't see a fucking thing!"

Ron looked out the windows, smiling. "Well, at least it's a pretty sight." He said, Jaden nodded, agreeing with him.

"Yeah," he said. "That's one of the reasons I like our ships over Battlestars to an extent: I like to actually see space, and the battlefield, with my own two eyes and not what sensors tell me."

Ron chuckled a bit as he nodded "True," he said before he raised his voice "Alright, people. Let's get to work! This ship is now on the line, and I'd like to test her before we take her into combat."

"You heard the man!" Ramius said, "Action Stations!" Everyone rushed to their posts as the assault carrier broke formation for weapons testing.

"It's been God knows how long since this ship fired her guns." Jaden pointed out, "Good thing we're getting away from the Fleet for this." He looked at the report in his hand "Thankfully, we have been given a few test targets: A handful of Civilian ships from our fleet and _Galactica's _that can't be used anymore, their crews have already been evacuated to other ships and colonies, and salvaged of anything useful. Once we blast em, _Hell Hawk _will haul what's left of them back to Garden of Thorns to scrap the debris for parts."

"Mega particle cannons targeting 'enemy' vessels." Romero Pal said, "Firing in five, four, three, two, one!" The two turrets fired, destroying the _Celestra_ and the _Pyxis_ and badly damaging the _Chrion._ "I'd call that a success. IF we were shooting at a Cylon Baseship!" Ron said.

"Sir, I'm picking up a message." The Comm Operator, Ensign Miriallia Haw said, "Pretty garbled."

Ron sighed and wracked his head. "Probably Starbuck's DRADIS training flight from _Pegasus_." He said, "Ignore it for now." The CCE head's hand slipped from the handle of his cane, and he fell to the deck. "FRAK!" He shouted, however Jaden quickly got the older man back onto his feet. "I thought you weren't going to fall." He said, and Ron rolled his eyes "Well-"

"Commanders, Admiral Adama wants you both back on _Galactica_." Ensign Haw said, "He says they have a problem."

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- Sickbay - 45 minutes later**

* * *

After the _Archangel _had returned to the fleet, Jaden and Ron boarded a Raptor which took them to the _Galactica, _where they arrived at the Sickbay where Admiral Adama, Dr. Cottle, and on the other side of Sickbay, a woman who was obviously pregnant.

Jaden sighed "Alright, I'll bite." he said, "What's going on here?"

"Rya here is four months pregnant and doesn't want to be." Dr. Cottle said, and Ron winced. "I hope you're ready to open that can of worms, Doc." He said.

Jaden looked at his friend. "Do I want to know?" He asked.

"The Gemenese have a religious problem with women terminating their pregnancies." Ron said explained "Personally, I could care less, as it's a woman's right to either have a kid or get an abortion. But the Gemenese see it as an abomination in the eyes of the Lords."

"And you don't?" Jaden said with a raised eyebrow, as Ron shrugged. "If the Gods didn't want us to abort pregnancies, they'd be launching lightning bolts at us." He said, "I don't see any lightning anywhere. Do you?"

Adama shook his head and looked at Cottle. "Tyrol said that she asked for you by name." He said, "Do you want to tell me what that's really all about?"

Cottle simply lit up a smoke. "Pretty straightforward, really." He said, "I get a note that a girl's on the way. She arrives. I do my work. And then she leaves. I don't ask a lot of questions."

The other two Colonial officers and Jaden looked at him and deadpanned. "You're gonna start." Adama said as he took in a breath. "I wanna talk to her."

Cottle led Adama to where Rya was laying down, and drew the curtain back. "I'm Admiral Adama." He said as she looked at him. "Don't worry, I've just come to talk."

Rya shook her head. "It doesn't matter what you say." She said, "I'm not gonna change my mind." Adama didn't flinch. He was used to this. "Your parents are a little worried about you." He said, "They've contacted me through the Gemenon representative."

Back with Jaden and Ron, the former was shaking his head. "Let me guess: you've got a thing against abortions." Ron said.

Jaden was silent for a moment before he nodded "Yes." He said, "Is that a problem?"

"Motto in the CCE: respect those that are different, either in form or opinion." Ron said, "Honestly, I could care less. I'm just respecting the law, and the law is pretty clear: abortion is legal under the Articles of Colonization."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it." Jaden muttered.

"I'm not trying to change your mind." Ron said, "What I'm asking is whether or not abortion is legal in Earth space."

Jaden rose an eyebrow "Why would you-"

"She might ask for asylum, either on _Galactica _or on an Earth ship." He said, "And if she gets it, she'll get that abortion without any interference from her parents."

Jaden couldn't bring himself to lie about it, even with his personal issues with it. "It's legal. Has been for almost two centuries." He said, "Even though its not practiced nearly as much as it was back during Pre-Universal Century. Although there are some colonies and nations on earth that _do _ban Abortions." He then shook his head "I just don't see the point in this... if she doesn't want the baby that much, can't she just wait for five more months and put her up for adoption?"

"You DO realize how much of a pain it would be to raise a baby on a ship, right?" Ron asked.

"Of course I do," Jaden said, "I know a few Scrap Vultures that do, its hard but they make due. Plus we have the colonies, they help out a lot."

Ron sighed. "Well, we wouldn't have the colony problem if the Cylons didn't use them as WMDs." He said, "Convince Rya. Tell her that one of your people will take in the baby or something like that."

Jaden nodded "Worth a shot at least," he said, before he walked over to Adama and Raya. The woman looked at Jaden, who smiled as he nodded "Hello Miss Kibby," he said. "I'm Lieutenant Commander Takeo."

Rya sighed "I just told the Admiral this, I am not changing my mind." She said.

"Maybe," Jaden said, "But... hear me out at least." He pulled out a chair and sat in front of her. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but... why do you want an abortion?"

Rya rolled her eyes "Isn't it obvious?" She said, "I don't _want _this! I didn't plan this! I can't raise a child, and in a place like a ship?"

"What about the Father?" Jaden asked, "What does he think about it?"

Rya grew silent, as she lowered her head a bit. Jaden's newtype senses began acting up again, as he sensed a growing feeling of pain and hate, which quickly answered his question "Ah, I see." He said, causing her to look at him in surprise "Happened without consent?"

The 17 year old nodded a bit "It... it just happened..." she said, "I... I couldn't stop him, he was drunk and... I didn't want my first time like this..."

"Hey," Jaden said, as he put a hand on her shoulder "Its alright. He won't hurt you anymore... but there _is _an alternative."

Rya looked at Jaden in surprise "W-What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well," Jaden said, "I can see where you are coming from with all of this. This happened without your consent, and its going to be hard to raise a child on a ship." He then smiled "But... I know a lot of people in the Scrap Vultures, and in SOF who could take care of your child... all you would have to do is wait about five more months, and I can have one of those families adopt your kid. You won't have to abort the child, yet you won't have to take care of him/her. I don't think there are any Gemenon laws against that, right?"

Rya shook her head "N-No... not that I know of..." she said, "But... m-my parents..."

"Just ask for Asylum on Garden of Thorns or one of the other ships on earth," Jaden said, smiling "Let _us _deal with your parents. It may be a lot easier than you think if you're intending to not abort the child, but put him/her up for adoption. So what do you say?"

Rya was, once again, silent for a minute. Then, she sighed "Are... are you sure you could find... a family for the baby?" She asked, and Jaden nodded.

"I can guarantee it," he said, nodding.

Rya sighed as she nodded "Alright." She said, "I'll ask for asylum on the Garden of Thorns."

"FRAKING GARNER!" Jaden and Rya jumped in surprise as they looked at Ron, who was raging in a corner with a phone to his ear. "Tell him NOT to-" He screamed in rage. "IDIOT!"

Jaden looked at Rya. "I'll be back later." He said before he walked over toward Ron. "What's going on?"

"Garner is being a total idiot." Ron growled, "I'm going to _Pegasus_ and kicking the asshole upside the head!"

"Ron, calm down!" Jaden warned.

"I'll be calm when my Size 13 boot is up Garner's Size 4 ass!" He shouted before he left sickbay, heading for the starboard flight pod and a Raptor to _Pegasus_. However Jaden quickly followed him "Ron, you REALLY need to calm down, otherwise-"

"I'm going to _Pegasus_ and taking command." He said, "Garner is getting transferred to _Galactica_ with a demotion to Colonel. He needs proper command training, and a few hours of being glared at by Admiral Adama!"

Jaden paused. "Ron, you said Adama's Glare made you crazier then you used to be!" He exclaimed, and Ron shrugged "Maybe that's what Garner needs:" He growled "A small dose of insanity!"

Both men arrived in the pod, and Ron boarded Racetrack's Raptor. "Lieutenant, get your ass in the air." He said, as Racetrack looked at Ron in surprise "Commander?"

"We're going to _Pegasus_, and my foot has an appointment with Garner's ass!" He declared, as Jaden got into the Raptor just before the hatch closed.

"What the hell's going on with Garner?" Jaden asked. Ron just sighed as he shook his head "His choices are almost as bad as Cain's." He said, "limiting information to _Pegasus _crew only, relieving people of their posts just because their doing their jobs. And with Apollo down-"

"It got worse?" Jaden asked, and Ron nodded."VERY." The Raptor was towed to the airlock, and as soon as it was in space, Racetrack took off, heading for _Pegasus_.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Pegasus **_**- CIC**

* * *

Barry Garner waited in CIC for his former CO to arrive. And arrive he did, with a Marine escort and Lt. Commander Takeo. Once the doors opened, he stuck out his hand. "Commander Pinkerton, welcome aboard _Pegasus_." He said, saluting.

Ron simply gave him a good imitation of the 'Adama Glare' "Turn around, Garner." He said, as Garner blinked, but did as he was told. Then Ron planted his Size 13 boot up Garner's Size 4 ass, sending the latter flying into the plotting table. "You are an IDIOT, Barry." He snapped, as Garner turned to face his ex-CO. "S-Sir?"

"You're not an engineer anymore, Barry: you're a commander of a warship!" Ron shouted, "Command is not about machines: it's about PEOPLE. And clearly, you haven't learnt that lesson!" He then glanced at one of the Marines "Sergeant of the Guard, PLEASE take Commander Garner into custody. His incompetence has embarrassed both this ship and the CCE long enough."

Then Apollo entered CIC. "Sir! one of our search raptors just picked up a possible distress signal from near where _Pegasus_ lost communications with Buster's ship."

Ron blinked as he turned at Apollo "Missing ship?" He asked, "Why the frak wasn't I informed, Major?" Apollo looked at Garner. Ron cast a glare at the man. "You are beginning to **test **me, Garner." He growled "If it weren't for the Marines and Jaden, I would have our head cleanly separated from your shoulders! Clean up your act, or I will have the Fleet Admiral send your ass to _Galactica_. Spend time with them." He hit Garner in the head once more for good measure.

"Feel better, Ron?" Jaden asked, as Ron sighed and nodded "VERY." He said, "The next time I see him screw up WILL be the last, though." Both headed for the port flight pod, where Racetrack's Raptor was waiting for them.

"So... who's going to be in command of the _Pegasus _now?" Jaden asked, "I doubt you'll keep command of her yourself for long. She doesn't seem like your kind of ship."

"She's not." Ron said, "And I'm voting for Apollo to take command. _Pegasus_ needs someone who WASN'T under Cain's command."

"Amen to that," Jaden said, "Someone who's got their head on straight certainly would help here. So what are we going to do about that missing ship? Who are we going to send?"

"I think it's a perfect opportunity for put the _Archangel_ through her paces." Ron said grinning "Don't you?"

Jaden smiled a bit "I believe so," he said. "Though we should bring a ship or two with us, just in case. "

"I'll get the Sydney on the horn as soon as we get back." Ron said, "Maybe get the _Zeus _as well: we need to test her new guns."

Jaden shuddered at that. "1500cm wide mega particle cannons." He muttered "You're crazy, yet that sounds _so _awesome at the same time. I think just _Sydney _will work, we'll keep the _Zeus _on stand-by if we need to call in her firepower. Hopefully we won't need it if we're lucky."

They returned to the hanger and got back to Racetrack's Raptor. "Take us to the _Archangel,_ Lieutenant." Ron said, as Racetrack nodded. "Aye, sir."

The Raptor entered the airlock once again, and soon left the _Pegasus_. However, as soon as they left and were clear, though,_ Pegasus_ jumped away. "Son of a bitch!" Ron shouted "That's it! Garner's ass is going to hang from my door!"

"Why the hell-"

"Garner was always stupid." Ron growled "That's why I kicked him out of the CCE in the first place!" Racetrack guided her Raptor toward the _Archangel_, then set down on the flight deck. As soon as the hatch was repressurized, Ron and Jaden left the Raptor and got to the bridge.

The unsuspecting bridge crew were anything BUT ready for the sight they were about to see. "Spin up the FTL drive!" He shouted, "I assume you know where we're going, Major?"

"N-No, sir-"

"We're going after _Pegasus_." Ron said with a sigh "_Again_."

Jaden sighed as he shook his head "Is that ship cursed to have a idiotic commander and crew or something?" He asked rhetorically.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Pegasus **_**- CIC**

* * *

_Pegasus _reappeared 40 SU (Solar Units, akin to Terran AU) from the Fleet. Hoshi looked at the screens. "DRADIS signal's clean." He said, "Jump put is clear of any interference." The DRADIS showed only two contacts. "Sir, I show two Raptors. Transponder codes match. They're ours."

Garner smiled. He didn't need a force recon team to find his people. "Mr. Hoshi, tell the CAG to launch our recovery team, and let's bring our people home." He said, and Hoshi nodded. "Aye, sir." He said, just as the DRADIS beeped again. "Sir, picking up another contact. It's the _Archangel_."

"Patch them in." Garner said.

Big mistake.

"_GARNER!_" Ron shouted causing everyone on the bridge to flinch "_I WILL HAVE YOUR HIDE HANGING FROM MY OFFICE DOOR! DO YOU HEAR ME?!_" Garner was terrified of that, because when Ron said he was going to skin you alive...he meant it. "I-I hear you, sir." He said, "Can I recover my pilots first, though?"

"_Yes. After, though, I will have your ass hanging from my door on _Athena!"

Outside, a Raptor approached the two DRADIS training craft. "_Pegasus_, Red Devil." The pilot said, "Our two birds look intact. Can't quite see inside yet." Red Devil maneuvered his Raptor toward the immobile ones. "Commander, we're unable to raise the raptors on wireless."

Then he looked inside the Raptors. "_Pegasus_, both raptor crews are dead." He said, "I repeat. They're all dead."

"_Red Devil, _Archangel _Actual: do they show signs of oxygen deprivation?_" Ron asked.

Red Devil shook his head "No, sir." He said, "It looks like they had their heads smashed against the canopy."

Then a nightmare appeared. A single Cylon Baseship jumped in. And neither ships were ready for combat. Back in CIC, all hell was breaking loose. "Sir, three Cylon Baseships just jumped into weapons range!" The DRADIS Operator warned, as right then the alarm they REALLY didn't want going off went off. "Oh, my gods... They're launching nukes! Brace for impact!"

Everyone but Garner braced as two nukes hit the ship's port side. On the _Archangel_, hell was breaking loose in a more...fluid fashion as everyone got to Action Stations. "Talk to me, people!" Ron shouted, "How many Baseships?!"

"Three, and they're launching nukes by the bucketload!" Jackie warned, "Same thing with Raiders! SHIT!"

Jaden looked at the DRADIS operator. "What?!" He asked.

"Picking up at least four squadrons of Scar-type Mobile Suits!" Jackie shouted.

Ron summed it up for them. "The Cylons had one prototype, and if they sent it into battle, that means they had a LOT of them either operational or damn close!" He said, as he turned to Murrue "How many Mobile Suits do we have on board?!"

"A team of Jegans, two Zaku II F2s and three of the prototype Darts!" She answered, and Ron nodded. "Jaden, can you fly a Dart?" he asked.

Jaden shook his head "No, I'm not rated!" He said.

"Fine, I'll take one and lead the MS teams!" Ron said as he moved towards the door. "You're in command!"

"You can't fly yet!" Jaden warned, "Your legs-"

"We need every pilot!" Ron shouted, as he tossed the Cane away "And I don't need the cane anymore, so that means I'm good!" He ran into the hall.

Jaden growled "Shit!" He shouted, before he calmed himself down. "Contact _Pegasus_." He said, "Tell them that I'm taking command of the _Archangel_ and that Ron's heading out to command the MS fight."

"Aye, sir!"

"Launch all Mobile Suits and Vipers!" Murrue said, "Arm all missile batteries and target Baseship 2! Get some of this shit off of _Pegasus!_" The _Archangel _turned toward the second Baseship, then fired multiple missiles at the Cylon warship. The ship's 2 Viper squadrons entered the fight, supporting _Pegasus' _twelve.

"Why the hell isn't _Pegasus _jumping the hell out of here?!" Jaden demanded.

"Message from _Pegasus_: 'FTL drive offline. Working to repair'." Jaden scowled. "Fuck!"

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Pegasus **_**- CIC**

* * *

"Baseship dead ahead, we're closing rapidly!" The Helmsman said, "We can't keep taking hits like this, Major!"

Apollo nodded. "Helm. Steady as you go." He said, "Have the bow battery stand by for salvo fire. Target their central axis."

"Yes, sir!" The Fire Control operator said as Apollo looked at the DRADIS "See if we can't cut down the odds." He said before he looked at the FTL status board. "We need those FTLs fixed soon. Or we're dead."

"Twenty-two hundred. Main battery has a firing solution." Apollo looked at the fire control officer. "Then fire!" He ordered, and _Pegasus_ fired at one of the Baseships, tearing into the central axis. Internal explosions began ripping the Baseship apart from the inside, forcing it to retreat at sublight, as the FTL drive was destroyed. "Baseship's turning away." The DRADIS Operator said stunned "He's-he's frakkin' running, Major!"

Apollo looked at the DRADIS screens. "But the other two aren't." He said, "They're coming hard. Helm: left, full." The _Archangel_ opened fire with her mega particle cannon turrets, sawing off one of the arms on another Baseship. "Tango 2 is badly damaged! It's turning away!"

"Focus all offensive fire on Tango 3." Apollo ordered "Let's see if we can't kill two Baseships today."

Outside, the _Archangel's_ 10 Mobile Suits, including one of the prototype CDF-01A Darts piloted by Ron, were engaging the Scar-type Mobile Suits. Despite the pain in his legs, he managed to take out two of them. "Alright, people, I want to capture one of these ugly bastards!" He ordered "Turnabout's fair play! Darts 2 and 3, bracket one of them!"

"_Copy, Commander!_"

"_Moving in!_"

The Viper/MS pilot knew that the damned things had the same brains as a Raider, the question was WHERE. '_Think, Psycho. THINK_!' He thought, before suddenly the light bulb appeared over his head once more, and he face-palmed. '_Where else, you idiot?! The HEAD!_'

The two Darts forced one of the 'Scars' out of formation, and Ron took aim with his CIWS, aiming for the head. "BRAIN-SHOT!" He shouted, as he fired a short burst, ripping into the Cylon MS's head. And just as predicted, blood came pouring out of it before the whole unit itself ceased movement and drifted in space. "Get that thing back to the _Archangel_!" He ordered, "All other MS teams, kill the bastards!"

"_Commander, this is_ Pegasus: _Starbuck reports Vipers are skosh ammo. We're down to throwing rocks at the bastards. We gotta haul ass outta here now!_"

"FTL drive status?!"

"_Psycho, _Pegasus: _FTL drive is online!_" Ron smirked. "Alright, people, RTB!" He said, "We've kicked enough ass for one day!"

* * *

_**Later, Onboard the Pegasus CIC**_

_**After the Battle**_

* * *

After the _Archangel _and _Pegasus _returned to the fleet, Jaden and Ron returned to _Pegasus_ in order to deal with Gardner once and for all. Unfortunately... they discovered he died via vacuum exposure when he repaired the FTL Drive.

"Well... at least he died doing what he did best," Jaden said with a sigh "Fixing his ship."

"He was a good engineer. I'll give him that." Ron relented, "But he was a piss-poor commander. A VERY piss-poor commander. Good thing we're putting in new blood." The doors to CIC opened. "And here he comes now."

Both men faced the newly-promoted Commander Leland Adama, wearing his new _Pegasus _uniform. "You never wanted to follow in your old man's footsteps, kid." Ron said nodding "Well, you didn't. You got promoted to Commander at a younger age than he did! Congratulations."

Apollo sighed "Not sure I deserve it, Commander. Ron. Frak," He muttered, "Calling you by your first name is something I'm not gonna get used to."

"Then don't." Ron said with a shrug "Little reminder, though. Don't forget Garner's mistake. Command is about people, not machines." Then a face either engineer wanted to see came into CIC. Kendra Shaw was back on _Pegasus_. And promoted to Major, no less.

Jaden rose an eyebrow "What's she doing here?" He asked Ron, who looked a bit more surprised before he turned to Apollo.

"I assume, Commander Adama, that you have a reason for bringing HER back to _Pegasus_?" He asked, before he then noted her uniform: red and silver piping. "As the XO, no less?"

"Yeah, Commander, I do." Apollo said, "I'm sending a message that I respect Cain's legacy, while in reality, she makes me sick. Shaw's the last member of the original _Pegasus _command staff, so-"

"She's the last link to Cain, good thinking." Jaden said, nodding as he turned to Major Shaw "Alright Major Shaw, let me make this clear... I believe you didn't want to do what you did on _Scylla,_ and you were just following Cain's orders. So, I am giving you this one chance, this _one chance _to get yourself some redemption for what you did. If you mess this up, that's it, and you'll _wish _you died the way Cain did. Am I clear?"

Shaw gulped a bit, but nodded quickly. "C-Crystal, sir." She said.

"Good," Jaden said as he moved to leave the CIC "Then I'll leave you to it... Major." And with that, he left. When he was gone, Ron shook his head and sighed "While I agree with him, I have one difference." He said, "If you mess this up, I want you to die slowly, painfully and at the hands of a 0005 Centurion." With that said, Ron left CIC, following Jaden to the hanger. They still had improvements to make on the new Darts to make, even though it would take a VERY long time to make them.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Sydney**_** - Work Shop**

* * *

The Workshop on board _Sydney_ was larger than the one on the Archangel, but that was logical: the ship was 20 times the size. And this had many perks, as the Workshop was large enough to house an entire Mobile Suit inside if need-be, which was why one such Mobile Suit, a CDF-X01A Proto-Dart, was currently inside the center of the Workshop which Ron and Jaden were now working on.

"So, how to the Darts rate on the Ronald Pinkerton Scale 'o Approval?" Jaden asked, sitting down on one of the legs of the M.S, while Ron worked inside the cockpit.

"VERY good." He shouted back "Still, we can make more improvements. Beam weapons would be a plus."

"I know." Jaden said, "It'll take awhile to modify the design to use Minovsky particles instead of bullets, though. But for now the Gatling rifle works good enough against those Cylon M.S."

Ron shrugged. "True," he said before he smirked a bit "Hard to believe that nine months ago, you saved my life from a Cylon Raider and introduced me to Mobile Suits and Minovsky technology."

Jaden smirked a bit himself as he laid back on the Dart's leg "Yeah, and you introduced me to Colonial technology, and FTL. Not to mention introduce me to the greater galaxy."

Ron chuckled as he looked at the new redesign for the Delta Gundam. It would take a while to do the job, but really, there was no need. The Delta was more than enough with what it had.

Suddenly, the Commander's phone rang. "FRAK." Ron shouted as he jumped out of the Dart's cockpit and picked up his cellphone. "Pinkerton." He said, before his eyes widened "What? Holy shit. We'll be there, RFN."

Jaden looked at him. "What's up?" He asked. Ron chuckled lightly. "You're not going to believe this, but _Pegasus_ just got back from an aborted rescue mission." He said, "With a souvenir."

"A souvenir?" Jaden asked, "What kind of souvenir?"

"I'm having a hard time believing it, personally." He said, shaking his head "I think we're going to need to see it." Ron got his midnight blue jacket back on and left the Workshop, with Jaden on his coattails.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Pegasus **_**- Starboard flight pod**

* * *

Both men looked at the wrecked machine in front of them. It was a War-Era Cylon Raider, complete with three 0005 Centurions: two of them chrome-plated, one of them gold-plated. This was the first time Jaden was looking at the older models. "So, this is the Model 0005 Centurion." He said, as he tapped the head of the gold-platted one "Mean looking Fuckers, aren't they? They'd make scary Halloween Costumes, I'll give ya that."

Ron nodded. "My father designed them that way." He said, as Adama, Tigh, Roslin and Sharon were also on the deck, and Adama was checking one of the Centurions, seeing if it was, well, real. "It's been a long time since I've seen o ne of these outside a museum." Tigh said, as Adama looked at his son. "And you say the entire fleet jumped at you?"

Apollo nodded. "They came out of nowhere." he said.

Roslin then pointed out the one problem in the whole thing. "Why would the Cylons resurrect a machine that by their standards is hopelessly obsolete?" She asked.

Sharon, who was shackled to make the _Pegasus_ crew feel safe, approached the Raider. " Maybe they didn't resurrect it." She said, "Maybe they were out here all along."

Roslin looked at the Cylon defector. "You have something you wanna tell us?" She asked.

"There are references in our databases, to a force of Centurions, called Guardians." Sharon explained, "Early models like this, that somehow escaped being scrapped."

Shaw, without looking at her, asked the hard question. "What do these Guardians guard?" She asked.

"A Hybrid." Sharon answered, "An entity that represents the first step in our evolution from pure machines to organic beings. From them, to us."

Ron and Jaden rubbed their heads to prevent the headaches caused by the Hybrid on the captured Baseship from returning. Roslin noticed this. "You two know something?" She asked.

"Yes, Madam President." Ron said, "We captured a Baseship, complete with Hybrid. It vomits metaphysics and status reports. We personally believe that the Hybrids drove the Leoben model up the wall, across the ceiling and back to the floor again."

Adama looked back at them. "The last operation of the war, _Galactica _was part of a task force that destroyed a Cylon base." He said, "I was o n that mission. The Cylons were supposedly building a super weapon."

"Operation Raptor Talon." Ron said nodding, "I know: I was there, too, but unlike you, Bill, I wasn't shot down. I still personally believe that you landing on that moon saved the entire human race from extinction."

Both men shared a brief laugh at that before Adama became serious again. "They escaped with it." He said, "Right before they signed the Armistice."

"If this Hybrid still exists, then it's captured some of our people." Ron said, as Adama resisted shuddering. "I don't want to think about it."

Ron ran off. Jaden wondered where he was going before he heard the tell-tale sound of vomiting. "It was that bad?" Jaden asked Adama, who sighed.

"_Brenik_ had nothing on that ice moon." he said, and at that, Jaden felt sick. "I think I'm going to be sick." He groaned.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- reactor core - **

**6 hours later**

* * *

Neither Ron nor Jaden wanted to be anywhere near the Guardian Baseship, so they wouldn't go on the mission. However, they still had work to do, so they were installing the first of Galactica's Minovsky-Ionesco reactors. "It was that bad?" Jaden asked, "The ice moon?"

Ron sighed. "The 0005s were the sickest bastards in the universe." He said, "They had no humanity in them. Granted, they hated us, but that's beside the point. I saw what the 0005s did there. Body parts in plastic casings with tube hooked into them. It was...WRONG, in every sense of the word." Ron turned on the computer terminal attached to the reactor, seeing if it was hooked in and supplying power. It was. "We killed them, they killed us." He continued"Almost 50 million men, women and children were killed in the First Cylon War. We don't know how many Cylons were 'killed'. There were more 0005s built by the Cylons then by us to offset their losses. You know the rest: disappeared for 40 years, then they nuked the 12 Colonies."

He walked over to a phone and punched in CIC. "CIC, you're clear to test the mega particle cannons." he said.

"_Copy, Commander._" Came the quick reply before Ron hung the phone up and sighed. "There are times I wish I died in that war." He said, "Then there are times where I wish it never happened, that humanity and Cylon alike united in peace. Too bad that's probably never going to truly happen."

Jaden sighed a bit, as he was about to speak before he clutched his head. "Oh, no. Those Newtype senses of yours-" Ron began to mutter, but Jaden cut him off.

"It's Sharon! It's time!" He shouted, and Ron knew what THOSE words could mean.

"Oh, SHIT."

* * *

**Garden of Thorns - Agathon residence**

* * *

Sharon was being loaded up on a stretcher, after falling unconscious as she had begun bleeding again, she was thankful that both Helo and D'Anna were at the house at the time as she was wheeled out, both of them following her outside where the ambulance was.

D'Anna's phone rang, as she picked it up "Jaden, is that you?" She asked.

"_Yeah, its me._" Jaden said, "_D'Anna, is Sharon alright?_"

D'Anna blinked in surprise at how Jaden already knew, but nodded "Well, mostly." She said, as they got into the ambulance which quickly took off for the local hospital. "Sharon passed out and started bleeding. Its happening today Jaden! We're on her ambulance, heading for the Hospital now! Where are you?"

"_I'm on _Galactica_._" Jaden said, "_It's a LONG story._" Ron's voice cut in. "_D'Anna, are there ANY Colonial Marines or Fleet personnel nearby?_" D'Anna looked around and saw two of Sharon's CCE Marine escorts. "Yes." She said. "_Well, shit. you're going to have to bring her to _Galactica." He said, "_Cottle's the most experienced doctor when it comes to Sharon and her pregnancy, and he's been barred from leaving the ship for some reason._" D'Anna's eyes narrowed. "The President." She muttered.

"_Yeah, she trusts Sharon to raise her kid as far as we can throw a Battlestar._" Ron said, "_Don't worry: I'll have CCE Marines at the hatches at all times. No one's touching that kid._"

"Good." D'Anna said nodding "I'm counting on you, Ron."

"_And if she tries, I'll shove the _Zeus _up her ass_." Ron said, and D'Anna dropped the phone at picturing _that _image. As soon as she picked up the phone, Ron chuckled on the other end. "_That was funny._" He said.

"Ron, that wasn't funny." D'Anna said with a glare.

"_You WISH it wasn't funny. It was._" The medevac Raptor landed as the two continued arguing. In fact, she was so busy arguing with Ron that she missed boarding the Raptor. "SHIT! WAIT!"

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- Sickbay - 45 minutes later**

* * *

When Ron said he'd have Marines, D'Anna thought he'd post one or two. Instead, a whole platoon was waiting outside sickbay. At EVERY exit, with orders to turn anyone that wasn't CCE or SOF away.

"...I find it absolutely amazing." D'Anna heard Cottle rant as the Marines allowed her inside "You people went to all the trouble to appear human and didn't upgrade the plumbing! You have a detached placenta. Baby's gotta come out now or we will lose you both."

"Okay, sir, I'm going to have to ask you to step back, please." Layne Ishay said, as she had to force Helo back a bit.

"She's tachycardic, and her blood pressure's dropping." Cottle said, "Yeah, she's hemorrhaging again. We're gonna have to make the cut now." Cottle started the Caesarean, as D'Anna watched from outside.

"Nasty thing." Ron said, as D'Anna turned to face Ron, who had appeared out of nowhere with Jaden. "The last time I saw this was 15 years ago. Rei Ayanami was born almost the same way. The mother died, though. Hope this has a happier ending."

The Marines cocked their Cx4s as someone got close to sickbay. It was none other than Admiral Adama. "For the love of Hephaestus, what the hell are you idiots doing?!" Ron shouted, "Lower your weapons!"

They lowered their carbines. "Admiral, if all due respect, what are you doing here?"

"To congratulate Helo." Adama said as he approached them, "And to ask why you have three platoons of CCE troops outside sickbay."

Ron sighed. "We have a feeling that the President is going to make a play for Hera." He confirmed "As such, I ordered THESE guys to come aboard to prevent that from happening. I mean, she's tried it before." That, of course, was Roslin's pseudo-deathbed order to terminate Sharon's pregnancy before said pregnancy saved her life.

"I understand that." Adama said, "Technically, she's under CCE protection, so I can't order you to hand her over."

"But the President's ignored military protocol before, and you think she'll do it again." Ron said, and THAT was a reference to what happened when they found Kobol and Roslin ordered Starbuck to steal the Raider and head back to Caprica. That was the month from hell.

"Still, you have no one coming in and no one going out." Adama said, "That's going to make it easy for you."

Ron shook his head "Somehow, I doubt Roslin's going to give up so easily." He said, "But I'm going to make it VERY hard for her, sir. This kid's practically my niece, and NO ONE touches family."

Adama subconsciously backed away from Ron. "All right. Good luck, Commander." He said.

"Have a nice day, Admiral." Ron said with a smirk "I'll pass your congratulations onto Helo."

D'Anna and Jaden watched as the procedure began, "Well... its almost done..." D'Anna said, "I can't believe I'm actually watching this... the first Cylon/Human child..."

"Hybrid or not, she's still going to just be a baby." Jaden said, as he smiled a bit himself "But either way... I'm glad this is happening, hopefully this won't go on without too many more snags."

D'Anna nodded a bit, before she glanced at Jaden a bit hesitantly "Umm... J-Jaden?" She said, getting his attention "I've been... thinking about the whole... new name thing and... I think I came up with a new name."

Jaden blinked before he nodded "Alright, what is it?" He asked.

"What... what do you think about... Rhea?" She asked, scratching the back of her head a bit sheepishly. "It... just came to me a while ago... so?"

Jaden thought about it for a moment "Rhea Biers..." he said, testing the name out before he smiled "I like the sound of that! Ron, what do you think?"

Ron, who was walking back in, thought about it. "Mother of the Gods by Cronus." He said before he nodded "It's a good name. Don't let it go to your head." Then he looked at Jaden. "And would you PLEASE kiss her?! The sexual tension is getting annoying! I mean, I'M dating someone now, for the love of-" His phone rang again as he groaned. "Not again." He muttered as he walked off, Jaden and D'Anna-or Rhea now, looked at one another and blushed before looking away again. Of course, like all things, any romantic atmosphere that was anywhere near those two was shattered.

"Godsdamn it, Kirishima!" Ron muttered "I told you-Wait, WHAT?! Son of a bitch. Contain it. I'm on my way." He hung up.

"Problem?" Jaden asked.

"Some idiot civilian got onboard the _Zeus_ and tried stealing a nuclear warhead." He said, "I'm going to go beat the living shit out of the idiot who tried." He looked at the Marine Captain. "NO ONE that isn't CCE or SOF gets in. Am I clear?"

The Marine Captain stood at attention "Sir yes Sir!" He said, and Ron nodded as he turned back to Jaden and Rhea "I'll be back soon." He said before he left.

* * *

_**Later, onboard the **_**Zeus**

* * *

Ron walked into CIC, angry as a bull seeing red. "Who's the fraking idiot who tried to steal one of my nukes?" He demanded, as Mana walked up beside him.

"Royan Jahee, supposed leader of the Demand Peace movement." She said, as Ron scoffed. "Those jackasses?" He asked.

"Yes, sir, those jackasses." She said, "He's in the brig."

"Good. I haven't tortured someone in a while." Ron said with a sick grin as he headed to leave CIC "It should be a good refresher."

Mana paused as Ron headed for the brig. "Wait, what?"

The elder man entered the brig, scowl fixed on his face as he soon was face-to-face with the leader of Demand Peace himself. "Commander, I am Royan Jahee." He said, "You have a unique way of welcoming visitors to your ship."

Ron huffed. "Visitor, my ass." He growled, "We shoot people like you for treason."

"Commander, I'm only an interested party trying to prevent more bloodshed." He said, but Ron just glared at him.

"By stealing a nuclear warhead?" He asked, "That's not the most peaceful of methods." Jahee looked at Ron. "I thought the CCE was different, Commander, that you respected people with different beliefs."

"We do." Ron said, "Until they pull an STO out of their ass. And guess what, retard? You pulled an STO out of your ass." Ron sat down in a chair outside the brig. "How many sympathizers do we have aboard this Fleet?"

Jahee shook his head. "If you're trying to crush an organization, you can stop now." He said, "The people in this movement are following an idea, not a leader."

'_Now I see why she said SUPPOSED._' Ron thought before he spoke "Look, you tried stealing a nuclear weapon. On a normal Colonial warship, that would get you shot. On a CCE ship...On Earth, there used to be an organization called the KGB. They had brutal torture methods. WE have methods that are just as bad. And since you're not protected by the Articles of Colonization, then I hope you've got a VERY happy patron god."

Jahee paled. "Oh, shit."

"THAT..." Ron trailed off with a smile. "Is an understatement, Mr. Jahee." The Demand Peace rep paled as Ron left. Before he closed the hatch, he turned to the Marine. "Tell Yuna she's got a new playmate." The Marine shuddered as he phoned the CCE's lead 'interrogator'.

* * *

**Battlestar Galactica - Sickbay - same time**

* * *

Sharon and Helo were looking in on their baby, who still needed oxygen support due to her underdeveloped lungs. "Hello, Hera." Sharon whispered, as the baby gripped onto her finger. "She's got quite a grip on her."

Helo smiled at the baby. "You don't like it in there, do you, Hera?" He said "You gotta stay in till your lungs get stronger." Sharon smiled happily. "She's our little girl." She said, still sounding amazed "We made her."

Watching from outside were Jaden and Rhea, both of them were smiling at the sight inside "Hopefully these Marines won't be needed any longer." Jaden said, "We can get them back to the Garden of Thorns when Hera's ready."

"That's not going to be for another 48 hours." A voice said, before both turned to face Cottle, who was, for once, without his smoke. "After that, you get her out of here ASAP." He continued "The President does not want Sharon to raise that baby."

"And you?" Jaden asked with a raised eyebrow, as Cottle shrugged. "I'm a doctor." He said, "I do no harm and I heal the sick and injured. Killing babies isn't exactly on my to-do list, Commander."

Jaden smiled a bit "Good." He said, "Kinda ironic that you say that considering a few days ago we were talking about abortions."

Cottle shook his head "Different circumstances," he said before he smirked slightly. "But, maybe you're right..." He then shook his head "Anyways, I still god work that needs doing." And with that, Cottle left. The phone in the corner rang, and Rhea walked over to it. "Sickbay." She answered.

"_Call for Commander Takeo from Commander Pinkerton._" Rhea looked at Jaden who walked over and took the phone. "Takeo."

"_Patching you into Commander Pinkerton._" A moment later, Ron's voice came through. "Jaden, remember those Demand Peace jackasses that protested on the Garden last month?" He asked, and Jaden sighed. "I do." They had caused a LOT of trouble for the SOF and Federation forces on the Garden the month before. "Let me guess: one of them tried stealing that nuke."

"_That's right: Jahee." _Ron said, _"I've got someone working on him right now._" Jaden didn't like the sound of that. "Working on him?" He asked.

"_Captain Yuna Farron._" He explained, "_Former regular Fleet, but discharged for...use unauthorized interrogation techniques. Don't worry: she's nothing like Thorne. Everything she does is psychological._"

"That doesn't exactly make me feel better." Jaden muttered, as Ron sighed "_Look, it wasn't my choice to recruit the bitch._" He said, "_Vice-Admiral Avalonia was responsible for that. He's dead now, but I'm stuck with her, so I might as well use her._" A loud scream was heard over the phone. "_Holy shit, he broke. That was fast._"

"Ron, I sometimes worry that the CCE's going to step over the line." Jaden said a bit worried.

"_Too late._" Ron said, "_With the loss of the Colonies, we've had to take over the jobs for half a dozen agencies. And guess who has to run it all?_" Jaden sighed. "You?"

"_Yeah, me, and I'm NOT happy with it._" He said, as a sickly sweet female voice was heard on the other end. "_Commander, he's ready._"

"_Got it. I'll be there in a few minutes._" Ron said, "_If I could, I'd space her. Problem is, I actually need her. I'll get back to Galactica in three hours. See you then._" Ron hung up, and Jaden hung up the phone as he sighed. "Like the Titans, yet NOT like the Titans." he muttered.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- Admiral's Quarters - 3 hours, 15 minutes later**

* * *

"Jahee's told us that most of his people are on Cloud Nine." Ron said, as Adama and Jaden were now in the Admiral's quarters. "They don't leave unless they need to." Ron handed Adama a list of names. "That's everyone on _Galactica_ and _Pegasus_. All of them were former civilians: none are actually regular military."

"We'll deal with them later." Adama said, as he looked at both Ron and Jaden "Right now, I've got a mission for you. Both of you."

"Us?" Jaden asked, and Adama nodded.

"3 months ago, Starbuck presented plans to return to Caprica to rescue a resistance group." He said, "I was against it simply because it would take Galactica away from the civilian Fleet. With you here, that's no longer an issue."

"Doesn't mean _Galactica's_ going anywhere." Ron pointed out, "She's a _Jupiter_-Class Battlestar. you'd need an _Orion_ or something just as small or stealthed to get remotely close to Cylon-occupied territory."

Adama looked at Ron. "Then it's a good thing that I've got 20 of them." He said, and both men gaped. "Sir?"

"I'm authorizing Starbuck's rescue mission, but with one change:" He said, "Find everyone that may have survived on the Colonies. Bring them home, Commanders."

Both men nodded. "Aye, sir. We'll take the _Orions_ back to the Colonies, get all the survivors, bring them back to the Fleet." Ron said, "Problem, though. It'll take at least 500 jumps to get back, even with my skills."

"We captured two Heavy Raiders and their computers." Adama said, "They'll help you out a lot."

"I think SOF can send in some ships of our own as well," Jaden said. "We have a few specially modified _Zanzibar II-_class ships. They've been refitted with special stealth systems. We've used them back on Earth for Stealth Recon and Exfiltration mission, and with the upgrades we've given its Minovsky Craft system, it can enter and exit a planet's atmosphere without the need of a Mass Driver. I'll see if I can get the Commanders to spare them for the Op. I can guarantee we'll get at least two or three, maybe all of them."

"It's also an opportunity to recover more damaged Colonial ships." Ron also pointed out, "I'll have two modified Jupiters following us, sending engineering teams throughout the Colonies. I doubt we're going to fit everyone onto the ships we're bringing with us." Then the CCE head winced. "I'm going to have to have THOSE guys come along for the ride."

Adama shuddered while Jaden was clueless. "THOSE guys?" He asked.

"You'll find out later." Ron groaned, "I'll introduce you to them on the Vulture." Ron left Adama's quarters. Jaden looked at Adama. "Admiral, PLEASE make sure no one does anything to Sharon or the baby." He said, and Adama gave him a mild glare. "Commander, I give you my word." He said, "Nothing will happen to them."

* * *

**Pocket Battlestar **_**Vulture**_** - 45 minutes later**

* * *

Jaden avoided banging his head off of a pipe this time as Ron led him into the bowels of the ship. "These guys are the best of the best." Ron explained, "Problem is, the regular Marine Corps wouldn't tolerate their...eccentricities." A shot was heard on the other side of the hatch, causing Jaden to Jump and Ron to sigh and roll his eyes "Not again." He muttered as he opened the hatch, showing a bunch of Marines screwing around, with one of them trying to kill another with a shotgun, and Jaden also noticed each of their body armors had different colors trimmed on them, like Red, Blue, Orange, Maroon, and... pink?

"ATTENTION!" Ron shouted, as everyone paused and looked at the Commander. "Oh, shit." The one with Teal trimming muttered, as Ron walked up to the shotgun wielding Marine (a Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps with Red trimmed armor) and took his weapon. "Sarge, you know how I feel about you trying to KILL YOUR MEN!"

"Sir, Grif is a lazy bastard that needs to die!" Sarge retorted.

"He's also the best pilot and driver you've got!" Ron shouted, "Enough!" He looked at the rest. "FALL IN!" They stood and formed a line.

"Lieutenant Commander Jaden Takeo, allow me to introduce you to the Red and Blue Squad." He said, "The best Marines in the CCE." Then he looked at Jaden. "And the absolute stupidest bunch in the universe."

He looked back at them. "Alright, people, I'm putting you under Commander Takeo's command!" He said, "I want you to cut down on the stupidity, because you're getting off this ship and onto an SOF warship! Get your asses to the hanger and get to your ship, because in 10 minutes, we're jumping!"

They all saluted "Sir, Yes Sir!" They shouted, before they rushed out of the room. Jaden looked ar Ron oddly "Why was he-" he began.

"Sarge hates Grif." Ron answered before he finished "Keeps trying to get him killed on suicide missions. Problem is, Grif just won't die. He's as bad as a Cylon that way."

"Sarge sounds like Cain." Jaden said, as both men paused.

"Thank the Lords that he's NOT a Fleet commander." Ron muttered, "THEN we'd be screwed!"

* * *

**10 minutes later: Colonial rescue mission**

* * *

20 Orion-Class PBSs left the fleet, followed by two CCE _Jupiters_ and a number of _Zanzibar_-Class assault carriers and a large number of Raptors. On board the _Vulture_, Ron triple-checked the jump coordinates. Since Sharon was busy taking take of Hera, (and the 3 CCE Marine platoons that were keeping anyone from getting close to either) Rhea had volunteered for the Raider computer FTL linkup. "You know, when I read that report, I wasn't expecting that anyone would ever do it again." Ron said, as Rhea sat beside the Raider brain. "I know." She said.

"SAR fleet, _Vulture_ Actual: sound off. Raptors?"

"_Headcase, check." _

"_Swordsman, check." _

"_Shoestrap, check." _

"_Scumball, check." _

"_Milko, check." _

"_Skylar, check." _

"_Ronin, check." _

"_Brake, check." _

"_Boulion, check." _

"_Streaker, check." _

"_Hamster, check." _

"_Bo, check." _

"_Chaser, check." _

"_Godama, check." _

"_Charlieman, check." _

"_Starcloud, check." _

"_Racetrack, check." _

"_Starbuck, check." _Ron smirked. "Raptor teams are go. SOF ships?"

"_This is the _Vampire, _ready to go sir._"

"_This is the _Tempest, _all systems are go._"

"Ragnarok _here, we're all set!_"

"Ingolstadt, _we're ready to go!_"

Finally, Jaden's voice came in last "_This is _Thermopylae, _We're all set here Ron!_"

"Copy, _Thermopylae_. CCE and regular Fleet vessels, sound off."

"Khepri_, check._"

"Hathor_, we're good, Commander._"

"Night Flight_, check._"

"Amunet_, check._"

"Khonsu_, check._"

"Satis_, check._"

"Apep_, check._"

"Nut_ is good to go, Commander_."

"Atalanta_, check._"

"Amphitrite_, check_."

"Paean_, check._"

The list went on until they came to the last one on the list. "_Vulture_ is a go." Ron said, "FTL drives are spun up. SAR fleet, _Vulture_: jump on my mark. Three, two, one. JUMP!"

The fleet jumped away, heading back the way they came. "DRADIS check." Ron said.

"All ships-Shit!" The DRADIS Operator shouted, "We lost one!" Ron looked at the operator. "Who?"

"One of the Raptors: Racetrack." He said, and Ron groaned "Shit." He muttered, "This was the first jump!" Rhea looked at him. "Do we turn back?" She asked, but Ron shook his head "Rhea, you and I both know what the protocol is: we lose three, THEN were turn back!" He said, "Gods, I just hope Racetrack can get back to _Galactica_."

* * *

**Unknown location**

* * *

The Raptor reappeared in a nebula. "Uh, I think we took a wrong turn at Albuquerque." Skulls muttered, as everyone looked at him. "What?"

Racetrack sighed "You spend too much time watching those Earth cartoons." She muttered, "We misjumped! Frak! Plot a jump back to the Fleet!"

"Hold it, picking up a distress call from-" Skulls began, as the Raptor vectored downwards to spot two things: a planet that seemed to crawl with life and a Mobile Suit. From the look of things, it was a Gundam, and it was holding a ball that Racetrack knew to be an MS cockpit.

"Frak me." She muttered as she approached the Gundam, hailing it. "This is Lieutenant Margaret Edmondson, callsign Racetrack to unidentified Mobile Suit." She said, "Please respond."

The wireless crackled for a moment, before a response came "_This is Lieutenant Amuro Ray of the EFSF special task force Londo Bell._" A voice of a young man responded, and everyone in the Raptor gaped. Another Earth Mobile Suit, and two pilots from the look of things.

"Lieutenant Ray, this is Racetrack." She responded, "Can you leave your cockpit?"

"_Yes, but I'm not abandoning the Nu Gundam in the middle of nowhere!_" Amuro shouted, but before he could go on, Racetrack stopped him "Hold on!" She said, "We can recover the Gundam later, ok?" She looked back at Skulls. "Where's that distress call coming from?" She asked.

"The planet." He said, surprise in his voice "There's a fraking ship down there!"

"Lieutenant Ray, Racetrack: we're going to pick you up." She said, "Get a helmet on."

* * *

**Back with the Fleet, **_**Galactica**_

* * *

"DRADIS Contact!" The _Galactica's _DRADIS Operator sounded off, "Registering Colonial transponders. Its... Raptor 1?"

Adama and Tigh blinked in surprise "One of them are back already?" The XO asked.

"They must of mis-jumped." Adama said with a sigh "Well, their mission is off to a great start."

"Sir, Racetrack is on the Comm." The Communications Operator said, "She says its important. They said they... found something?"

Adama blinked and picked up the phone. "Patch them in." He said, before Racetrack's voice came on the Comm.

"Galactica, _Racetrack: you're not going to believe this!_" She shouted, "_We misjumped, but we discovered a planet and we found an Earth Mobile Suit!_" Adama was now VERY confused. "I thought Earth didn't have FTL technology." He asked.

"_They don't: the pilot of the Gundam's kind of clueless as to how they got there._" Racetrack said.

"They?"

"_He was carrying an MS cockpit, sir._"Racetrack explained, "_And we picked up a distress transmission from the surface. There's someone down there!_" Adama looked at Tigh. He KNEW that look, so he picked up his phone.

"This is the XO: launch recovery ship." Tigh ordered, as Adama spoke with Racetrack again "Racetrack,_ Galactica_ Actual: jump back and find out if there are any survivors from the crashed ship." He ordered, "You've still got the Marines. Jump back and land on the surface."

"_Copy that, Actual!_" _Galactica's_ large capacity FTL shuttle launched from the starboard flight pod. Racetrack gave the shuttle the coordinates for the planet, then both jumped away.

"Bill, this could be a Cylon trap." Tigh warned, "They tried this with _Pegasus_ two weeks ago."

"I don't think so." Adama said, shaking his head "Doesn't have that wrong feeling to it."

Tigh sighed. "Well, hopefully Pinkerton gets back soon with those people from the Colonies." He said, "I'll bet he'd want to take apart the wreck on the surface."

"Believe me, Saul, he would."

* * *

**Cyrannus System - gas giant Ragnar**

* * *

The rescue fleet jumped in near Ragnar, which would be the regrouping point for both teams. "Starbuck, _Vulture_ Actual: you're clear to jump to Caprica." Ron said on the bridge of the _Vulture _"You know the lay of the land better then we do."

"_Copy, Actual._" Starbuck said, "_See you soon._" The Raptors spooled up and jumped away.

"_Thermopylae, Vulture_: I'm sending you FTL coordinates." Ron said, "We're jumping to Aquaria."

"_Why Aquaria?_" Jaden asked. "There's a scientific research post there." Ron answered, "I'd like to see if the Cylons left it alone." Ron sent the _Thermopylae_ the coordinates.

"Jump in 10." Ron counted down silently before speaking. "Jump!" Both ships jumped away, arriving at Aquaria moments later.

"Jump complete, Commander: no contacts." The DRADIS Operator said, as the elder of the two commanders chuckled. "Looks like the Cylons were more interested in killing everyone then destroying research." He said, "Plus, they're focusing on Caprica it seems. Their mistake."

"_Never correct your enemy when they're making a mistake, Ron!_" Jaden said, and Ron could tell he was smirking. "Who says I'm correcting them?"

Then the comm started beeping. "Sir, I'm picking up a transmission: 9847.78 megahertz." The Comm operator said, as Ron whistled. "Ultra ULTRA high frequency transmission." He said, "The Cylons can't pick that up or else their brains would fry. Who's calling?"

The Operator looked, before his eyes blinked "It's... its a CCE emergency distress call, sir!" he said, sounding shocked.

"Ok. WHERE?" Ron demanded, as the wireless operator flinched. "T-Tauron, sir." He said.

Everyone expected Ron to go into a rage. But surprisingly, he didn't. "Launch the recovery team." He said in a calm tone "Tell them to strip the station to the bones, then jump back to Ragnar. Ensign, spool up FTL drives, prepare to jump us to Tauron."

"Aye, sir." Suddenly, Jaden's voice sounded over the wireless. "_Ron, what are you doing?_" He asked.

"We're picking up a distress call from Tauron: CCE UUHF frequency." Ron explained "We're jumping in to investigate."

"_What about the station?_" Jaden asked. "The recovery teams are working on that: they've got FTL equipped Raptors, so they can head back to Ragnar." Ron said, "Besides, I've got ghosts I need to bury."

"_...Your family?_" Jaden asked, and Ron nodded. "Yeah, my family."

"_Then we're coming with you._" Jaden said. Ron bitterly chuckled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"We're ready to jump, sir."

"Then take us to Tauron."

* * *

**Unidentified planet (Coined 'New Caprica' by Vice-President Baltar)**

**One Hour later**

* * *

Racetrack's Raptor entered the atmosphere of New Caprica, as it headed towards the source of the distress beacon. "We should be at the source of the beacon in a few minutes," She said, "The Signal is getting stronger." She then glanced back at their latest passengers, The EFSF Pilot Amuro Ray, and the unconscious pilot from the M.S Cockpit which was lying on the ground, being treated too. "I hope you don't mind the Detour Mr. Ray," she said.

Amuro shook his head "No, its alright." he reassured, "This is important, I can tell."

Racetrack nodded as they headed forward, however soon they came across a sight which made her eyes, as well as the eyes of the other onlookers, widen. "What... the..."

The Raptor was approaching a _massive _ship, a ship three times larger than the Garden of Thorns itself! It was given a teardrop oval-like shape, with a metallic dome over it. "Holy Shit..." Skulls muttered, "That... that ship's almost as big a Caprica City!"

Racetrack could just nod "Got me there..." she muttered, before she shook her head "C-Come on, let's try to find an opening."

It took them some time, but finally they found what seemed like a hangar bay inside the ship. As they approached, surprisingly enough the hangar seemed to open for them, and allow them entry into the massive vessel.

Eventually, they reached the end of the hangar, where Racetrack put the Raptor down. "Alright everyone," Racetrack said as she stood up "In we go, Skulls, you stay here and keep the bird Hot in case we need an evac. This could still be a Cylon trap. And keep your eyes on that guy," she gestured to the man on the ground "He could come back around at any minute." She then turned to Amuro "Would you like to come with us, Mr. Ray?" She asked.

Amuro shrugged "I might as well," he said, "But... I sorta don't have a weapon..."

Racetrack sighed, before one of the Marines handed Amuro one of their Pistols. "Alright, everyone stay close and keep your eyes peeled." She said, "If you see anything that's Chrome-plated, you shoot it. Clear?"

The Marines all nodded "Alright then," she said, as she opened the Raptor's door "Let's move out!"

* * *

_**Meanwhile**_

_**On Tauron**_

* * *

Ron and Jaden walked through Ron's hometown of Hypatia, former capital of Tauron. "Beautiful city, even if it's been nuked." Jaden commented.

"That's my hometown for you." Ron said, "Hypatia can and will survive everything thrown at it." After he left the _Vulture_, Ron picked up Jaden with a Mk III Raptor (which was a mix of the thrust-vectoring Non-FTL Mk I and the FTL Mk II) and homed in on the signal. That led them to Hypatia.

"Think the Cylons will find our Raptor?" Jaden asked, but Ron just scoffed "Please." He said, "I jumped into the atmosphere, right under their DRADIS. The only way they could've spotted us was to, I don't know, see us." Ron held up the transceiver. "Beacon's about 200 meters away."

He then sat down on a bench, causing Jaden to look at him confused . "Shouldn't we be-" He began, but Ron pulled out a medkit. "Anti-radiation meds." He said, "We're on a planet that's had the shit nuked out of it." He tossed Jaden a needle.

Jaden looked at it in surprise "You guys have anti-radiation medication?" He asked, and Ron nodded. "That's right." He said "What, you don't?"

Jaden shook his head "Not really, no." He said, "With the Antarctic Treaty, most Nuclear Weapons are banned from use. Their only used on very rare occasions."

Ron stabbed the needle into his neck and injected the medicine into his system. "Well, when we use nukes all the time, I'm not surprised we have them and you don't." He said.

Jaden just sighed as he rolled up his sleeves and injected himself with the anti-radiation meds. "Now, where-" He began to say, before A bullet barely missed Jaden's head. "FUCK!" He shouted as both men dove into cover behind an old car.

"Frak." Ron muttered, "Looks like a humanoid with a .50."

"What makes you say that?" Jaden asked, as he armed his RPKA1 Beam Light Machine Gun

"Centurions aren't fans of sniping." Ron pointed out as he loaded an explosive round into his Five-SeveN's launcher. "Break cover on my mark!" Jaden nodded and got ready to bolt. Ron fired upwards, and the explosive round hit the building's side near the roof, exploding and taking down the sniper. "NOW!" Both men ran ran toward a parking garage, where they would be safe from sniper fire. "Fraking hell. I love coming home." Ron muttered as they ran, sliding into the parking garage and taking cover "It always starts with something or someone getting shot at!"

Jaden looked at Ron incredulously. "You're kidding." He said, but Ron shook his head.

"Nope." He said, as Ron pulled out his G36KB-A1 when they heard pebbles moving. "Something's coming." He warned, before he rounded the corner, his rifle aimed, but he then spotted the one thing he'd never thought he'd see again.

"Aunty?"

"R-Ron?"

Standing before him, was his Aunt Karen, holding a Marine issue Cx4 and pointing it at him. However immediately after seeing one another, they lowered their weapons. "Frak, Ron, I thought you were dead!" She shouted with a smile.

"Language, Aunty!" Ron said, with his own smile. It was then that Jaden broke cover. Karen tried to shoot him, but Ron kept her weapon lowered. "He's a friend." Ron said, as he looked at Jaden.

"Jaden, as much as I can't believe it myself... this is my aunt, Karen Schreck." Ron introduced, "Aunty, this is Lt. Commander Jaden Takeo."

She looked at him and nodded. "Pleasure." She said, "Love to stay and chat, but we've got a bunch of fraking toasters inbound!"

Ron groaned, "Shit." He muttered, before just then a Colonial IFV (**RON AN: Picture the Future Combat Vehicle Program's XM1206 Infantry Carrier Vehicle**) barreled into the parking garage. "Holy shit. Is that an M80 Archer?" Ron asked in shock, as Karen nodded "Same one from my unit." She said, before she nodded towards the IFV "Come on!"

Jaden chuckled. "A tank." he muttered.

"Not a tank." Ron corrected, "Tanks have bigger guns." Ron and Jaden boarded the Archer, then the IFV darted out of the Garage and out of the area.

"So, I gather you've been busy, Ron." Karen said with a small smirk, as the aforementioned man chuckled. "Very." He said, "You will not believe the story I've got, Aunty."

Karen chuckled as well "Doubt you'll believe ours, either." She said, "Hit me."

* * *

**New Caprica - Unidentified 'colony ship'**

* * *

The Marines plus Racetrack and Amuro moved through the massive ship, and discovered to their surprise it was like a massive space colony city. Inside there was a massive city, with building and structures similar to those from any other colony city. Overhead there was a massive dome, which instead of showing them outside, displayed what could only be described as a holographic image of a normal planet's atmosphere with clouds and blue skies overhead.

However, as they moved into the city. They found no-one else inside. It seemed strange, and creepy that there was not a soul in sight.

They were now moving down one of the sidewalks of one of the streets. Their weapons drawn, but not aimed. "I've got a bad feeling about this..." one of the Marines said.

Another marine rolled his eyes "You _always _have a bad feeling," he retorted.

Racetrack rolled her eyes, and was about to tell them to stow it before suddenly...

_Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!_

The others all raised their weapons towards... a phone, which was ringing. It continued to ring for a few moments, before Racetrack looked at them "Well... is anyone going to answer it?" She asked.

Amuro sighed as he walked forward "I got it," he said, as he picked up the Phone before he put it up to his ear "Hello?"

"_Good, you answered._" A male voice said, causing Amuro to blink "_Are there more of you? Is help coming?_"

"Umm..." Amuro said as he looked at the Colonials "Yes... they say they have a fleet coming..."

"_Are you from the 12 Colonies, or Earth?_" The voice asked.

"Uhh..." Amuro said before he covered the mouthpiece and spoke with them "He's asking about whether we're from Earth or the '12 Colonies'." He said, "What do I say?"

Racetrack looked surprise, before she nodded "Tell him 'yes, we are from the Colonies'." She said, and Amuro nodded as he said those words.

The voice sighed "_Good, good... there may still be time..._" he said, "_Listen, everyone else on the _Atlantis II _is in Cryogenic Sleep, I was awaken when our sensors picked up your shuttle arriving, but I need your help to wake the others up. Just follow the street signs and they will take you to me._"

Amuro told the others what he told him. Racetrack nodded before she took the phone away "Alright, just show us the way and We'll help you." She said. "But... how can we be sure we can trust you?"

"_I have no reason to lie to you,_" The voice said, "_All I wish to do is to help the colonies of Kobol and humanity as a whole, before its too late._"

The Marines looked at Racetrack. "LT, me no like this." One of the Marines said, but Racetrack rolled her eyes "Shut up, you idiot. What he's saying though, THAT's true." She said, as she shook her head. "This is WAY above my paygrade. Why the frak did Pinkerton and Takeo have to go on that fraking mission? This is perfect for them!"

"_Takeo?_" The voice asked, sounding surprised. "_How did you know my last name? Who's Pinkerton?_"

Racetrack's eyes widened for a moment, before she sighed as she keyed her wireless earpiece into the communications system. "Lt. Commander Jaden Takeo and Commander Ronald Pinkerton are on a mission, heading back to the Colonies." She said, "Look, I'd rather explain this face-to-face."

There was a long pause on the Phone "_Jaden... It can't..._" the voice whispered before he spoke again "_Alright, fine. Just follow the street signs, they'll lead you to me._"

"Alright, buddy. We're heading for you, RFN." She said, as Amuro hung the phone up for her "Move your asses, people!" Everyone broke into a run, following the lighted signs which led them deeper into the colony. Eventually, it deadended at a sealed hatch. "Ok, I think we're here." She said, as she banged on the hatch.

"_Good, you're here._" The voice said on a loudspeaker "_Give me a second, I'll open the door._"

A few seconds later, the massive hatch doors slowly opened. When they did, standing before them was a man who looked to be in his late 30's with short ear-length black hair, and crimson red eyes. In fact, he looked almost identical to Jaden, only older.

"Holy frak." Racetrack muttered, as the man approached them.

"Yes, I suppose that's a good way to describe this." The man said, as he looked at Racetrack dead in the eye "My name is Aren Takeo, formerly Commander of the Republic of Zeon, now Rear Admiral of the 13th Tribe Mobile Space Colony _Atlantis II._ Now that introductions are out of the way... do you mind telling me how you know the name of one of my sons?"

* * *

**Meanwhile, on Tauron**

* * *

Jaden sneezed while Ron muttered something in Tauron. He assumed it meant something akin to 'bless you'. "Your entire unit survived?" Ron asked his Aunt, who nodded. "Yeah." She said, "Hijacked the military museum outside the city as our GHQ. Then we found ourselves a bit of a nightmare."

"Let me guess: humanoid Cylons?" Ron asked, as Karen looked surprised "How the hell did you know?" She asked.

"One was on the _Atlantia_: nearly killed the highest ranking surviving officer left before she was subdued." Ron explained, and Karen rolled her eyes. "Fraking skinjobs, huh?" She asked.

"She's actually a nice lady once you get to know her, Aunty." Ron explained "There's a word for what she was: sleeper agent."

The Marine Sergeant Major scoffed. "Yours?" She asked, but Ron shook his head "Oh, no." He said, as he pointed at Jaden. "His. Have we forgotten what I am, Aunty?"

"Right, you're CCE." She muttered, "Keep forgetting that those guys don't really hate Cylons." They arrived at a massive building at least 8 kilometers long and 9 wide. "What is this place?" Jaden asked.

"_Jupiter_ Military Museum." Karen answered, "The only place on the 12 Colonies where you could go onto a Battlestar." Jaden looked at the two of them in shock. "There's a BATTLESTAR in that building?!" He asked shocked.

Karen looked at him oddly. "Where the frak have you been not to hear about this place?" She asked "It's famous throughout the Colonies!"

"Aunty, he's not Colonial." Ron said, "He's from the 13th Tribe. From Earth."

Karen looked at her nephew with a shocked look. "Frak me." She muttered, "When you said you had a story and that I wouldn't believe it, you were right. But you never lie to your family, Ron: that's not your thing."

The Archer stopped, and everyone got out. "We've been trying to get the fraking FTL drive fixed since the toasters nuked the place so we could get off this rock." Karen said.

"How many do you have?" Ron asked. "About 6900 here and another 15000 at the nearby base." She said, "We've been all over the planet, taking everything we could: medical supplies, ammo, weapons. As well as finding every last survivor we could find."

Ron chuckled. "You are a goddess of war, Aunty." He said, "How many of them are military?"

"Around 2000." She said, "I'm the ranking jarhead, so I'm in charge. Well, until you got here."

"Don't mind me: I'll help fix the FTL drive." Ron said, as Karen smiled a bit "Lloyd will be happy to see you."

Ron looked at his aunt in surprise. "Uncle Lloyd's alive?" He asked, and she nodded. "Yeah. So's your mom. Steve's alive, too: he's been our chief FTL mechanic."

Ron looked happier than ever. "Get back to your post, Sarge." He said, as Karen mock saluted and marched off. "They're not dead." Ron whispered with relief in his voice "Thank the Lords, they're still alive!"

Jaden smiled a bit as he put a hand on his shoulder "Alive, but stuck on this planet." He pointed out.

"Not for long." Ron said, "The Museum's got five military ships here: all but one are _Valkyrie_-Class Battlestars." They approached the museum's chief attraction prior to the Fall: a _Jupiter_-Class Battlestar in First Cylon War guise." "Ron, is that-" Jaden began.

"The FIRST of her breed." Ron said with a fond smirk "The Battlestar _Jupiter_ herself."

"How the hell did it get here?" Jaden asked shocked as he looked at the massive Battlestar.

"The same reason we calculate FTL jumps: you go blind, you could die." Ron explained "Last day of the War, she jumped, but ended up here. They built the museum around her and repaired her. She's even armed with real guns and she even has a few nukes in the magazines. Thank the Lords that until now, no one could get at them."

"Oh?" Jaden asked.

"You need a commissioned officer's authorization code to get inside." Ron said, "And while I'm CCE, I'm still a commissioned officer."

"What about the other ships?" Jaden asked, and Ron sighed. "I can fix their FTLs, too." He said, "But I really don't want to destroy the museum. It's...I helped build it, for the love of Athena."

"Ron, we need this ship to get everyone out of here." Jaden said nodding, "Go fix her FTL drives."

Ron nodded and took off his uniform jacket. "Right." He said as he gave Jaden the overcoat. "Ron-"

"You left yours on the _Archangel_." He said, "It'll keep any of the military types from asking questions. I've got a ship to fix." The CCE head walked into the Battlestar.

Once he was gone, Jaden decided to take a tour of the museum. Over a dozen squadrons of Mk II and Mk III Vipers, dozens of older military vehicles (lookalikes of the M1A2 Abrams MBT, the BMP-1, the Piranha APC and the BTR-80, just to name a few) and even Cylon Centurions that had their CPUs removed.

"No wonder Ron doesn't want to destroy the museum." Jaden muttered to himself. Suddenly, an idea came to mind. Why not take everything with them? They could still be used with some modifications.

"Looking around?" A voice said, as he turned to face an older looking man with long black-gray hair walk over. "Lloyd St. Jean. I'm Ron's uncle." He extended his hand and Jaden shook it.

"Nice to meet you," Jaden said as he looked at one of the Mk II Vipers "Yeah, this is my first time being here."

Lloyd nodded as he looked at the Viper as well "It's been home for 9 months." He said, "The awe effect goes away after a while. Especially since Ron's made better things."

"But you can't go wrong with the classics, can you?" Jaden said with a smirk, while Lloyd chuckled "Nope." He said, before Jaden chuckled as he looked at a large number of wheeled vehicles. "Landrams, those." Lloyd said, "They can go anywhere: land, space, water." He sighed. "Stopped making em after the First Cylon War: no need."

"That seems to be everyone's thought to everything here, doesn't it?" Jaden asked.

"Well, we're trying to get em fixed." Lloyd said with a smirk "Think you can help?" Jaden smirked right back. "Definitely." He said, "And why stop there, why not see if we can bring everything else in this Museum back up to working order? My Motto is: 'If it ain't broke, use it' after all."

* * *

_**Meanwhile, Back at New Caprica**_

* * *

After getting the first introductions out of the way, Aren Takeo was quick to explain what needed to be done, and what had happened. When their colony ship crash-landed on the planet, the entire colony's populace had gone into Cryogenic Slumber, and to await for the arrival of rescue. Aren's pod was keyed into the station's sensors, as when a ship was picked up, he would be awakened to begin the thawing process of the others, as well as to work with their rescuers to help in the process.

Racetrack wished to ask more, but knew that it would probably be best to ask questions later. "Alright, so how do we thaw them out?" She asked.

"There are six facilities where the population have entered Cryostasis." Aren answered, "We just need to head for each of the spots, and begin their thawing process. We have to monitor each process carefully, make sure no complications emerge from the process."

"Frak. There's a REASON we don't use cryostasis!" Racetrack said with a sigh "Alright, people: split up! We've got a lot of people to get out of those tubes! Two man teams!" The Marines split up, running toward their objectives. Racetrack faced Aren "Listen, man, I've got to get back to _Galactica _and tell Admiral Adama what the hell's going on." She said, "I mean, this is a little nuts, even for us! And we could use more people down here!"

"Then go back to your shuttle and get more help." Aren said nodding.

"Uh, it's not a shuttle." Racetrack said, "It's a Raptor."

"Whatever." He said, rolling his eyes "You got here in it. Get more help."

Racetrack ran back to the Raptor as fast as her legs could carry her, then climbed in. "Frak, frak, frak, FRAK!" She shouted as she climbed in and sat down, startling Skulls who looked like he was just about to take a nap. "What's going on?" He asked.

"Shut up, Skulls!" She shouted, "Spin up the FTL drive! We're heading back to _Galactica_ to get more help!"

Skulls just nodded, as the hatch closed and the Raptor took off, leaving the hanger and the ship.

"FTL drives are spun up." He said.

"Good." Racetrack pushed the button, jumping the Raptor back to the Fleet. In the back, the yellow-suited MS pilot finally woke up.

He groaned a bit, before he looked at his surroundings "Where-"

"Relax, man." Skulls shouted from his seat, "We'll explain later."

"_Galactica_, Racetrack: I think we're going to need more people planetside." Racetrack said, "A LOT more."

"_Racetrack, _Galactica: _define 'a lot'._" Anastasia Dualla asked.

"How about thousands, Dee?!" Racetrack shouted, "I'll explain when I get back on board. And tell Takeo's brother and sister-what's their names again?-to get their asses on a Raptor! I think they need to come with us!"

There was silence on the Comm before there was an answer "_...Copy that, Racetrack. I'll inform them._" She said, as Racetrack shook her head as she landed the Raptor in _Galactica's_ port flight pod. "Uh, Racetrack?" Skulls said, tapping her shoulder as he pointed in the back "He's awake."

She looked back at the man in the flight suit, and groaned . "Oh, shit." She muttered "Hi. You alright sir?"

The man sat up a bit, as he nodded "Yes... I'm fine, thanks." He said, "Where am I? And who are you?"

"Not your enemies if that's what you're wondering." Racetrack said, "What's your name?"

"Captain Char Aznable."

* * *

**New Caprica - Colony Ship Atlantis II - 30 minutes later**

* * *

Minutes later, eventually most of the fleet had arrived at the planet of 'New Caprica', what ships that were not sent there were awaiting the arrival of the rescue team, and guide them to the planet.

On the surface, more and more Colonial and Earth forces were moved too the planet, to help the survivors of the _Atlantis II._ After some minor difficulties of understanding the technology, they managed to successfully awaken the people of the ship with no incidents or fatalities. It appeared their Cryo-Stasis technology was more advance than previously thought, as none of the occupants had aged a day since they reportedly entered such state.

Matthew and Amy Takeo however were just arriving at the colony ship via Raptor, after being told they found something they had to see for themselves. Not questioning why, they followed Racetrack, until they arrived at a large house in the center of the entire colony. And now, they waited inside a large room which looked like a living room, for whatever or whoever it was they were waiting for.

What they didn't know, was just outside, Aren, and his wife Sutura who looked very much like a slightly older version of Amy, was looking at them from behind a doorway with wide eyes of shock. With them were Nasha and Zar.

"I don't believe this..." Sutura whispered, a few tears in her eyes "Its been... over twenty years... and our children..."

"They've been doing fine, Sutura," Nasha said, smiling as she put a hand on her shoulder, "We've been taking care of them. God, I still can't believe this... you look like you haven't aged a day, either of you."

"Cryostasis completely halts aging," Aren said, still looking shocked. "Until we get out, and then it resumes normally... " He finally took his gaze off of them as he turned to Zar "Where is Jaden?"

"On a mission," He said, "Back at the 12 Colonies, their trying to evacuate any survivors and bring them back here. Once that's done, we can make our next move. We're hoping we can get back to Earth as soon as possible."

Sutura sighed "We were too late..." She whispered, "We may never be able to repair the 12's relations with the Cylons now..."

"We're definitely going to have to ask you about that," Zar said before he smiled and gestured forward. "But I think its time for a family reunion."

They entered the living room, and they saw their children for the first time in 20 years.

* * *

**Back on Tauron**

* * *

Fixing an FTL drive is not what you'd call easy. Fixing one that had been taken apart and improperly put back together was even worse. But there was no FTL drive that Ron couldn't fix, given time and a few parts. And that was exactly what he was doing: fixing an FTL drive with his uncle Steven's help.

"Number 9 coil spanner, please." Ron said as he worked on the FTL, his hand outstretched as Uncle Steve handed him the requested tool "Here." He said, as Ron took the requested item and began the final tune-ups to the FTL drive.

"Sorry about fraking with the FTLs, Ron." Steven said, but Ron shook his head. "Hey, you want to get off of this rock." He said, "Why the frak should I complain? Besides, I haven't taken apart an FTL drive and put it back together again in almost a year. I should be thanking you."

A few moments later, the _Jupiter_ was ready to jump once more. She had enough tylium to fly for about 3 weeks, but they wouldn't need that much time to catch up to the Fleet again. "Uncle Steve, you go check on the gun turrets." Ron said as he stood up "I'll get the FTLs on the _Freyja_ and _Hnoss_back online." Ron left the Jupiter's FTL room, thankful for the tram system installed on the ship. It allowed him to get off the ship quickly.

He reached the end of the Tram, and entered the starboard flight pod to leave to refit the other ships, but was surprised to see numerous vehicles and items being loaded up through the Flight Pod, all of the vehicles which were previously just items of the Museum, now working perfectly. He saw Colonial Tanks, APC's, Viper II and III's, even Landrams. And leading this mission was none other than Jaden and Lloyd, the former of which was directing them inside as he guided a Raptor Mk.I carrying a M908B1 Devastator Main Battle Tank **(1)** into the hangar "Okay, you're good... you're good..." He said as he waved it forward, "Now let her down nice and easy!" The Raptor gently put the Tank onto the floor.

"Jaden? Lloyd?" Ron asked as he approached them, "What are you doing?"

"Well," Jaden said, smiling "I didn't want everything in this museum to go to waste, so... we're bringing all of the stuff in the museum with us! Everything from vehicles and weapons to memorials and random items. We've already started working on getting most of the vehicles back up and running, and once we get back to the fleet we can start refitting them."

Ron blinked before he smiled a bit "I like the sound of that," he said as he looked at the Devastator "I'm surprised you're wanting to save Tanks like these... considering Mobile Suits are way better."

"Not exactly," Jaden said, causing Ron to look at him oddly "Mobile Suits are effective yes, but conventional military vehicles like Tanks, IFV's and APC's still play important roles. Not only are they cheaper to make, but since their smaller they can go places mobile suits can't. Not to mention they can lay Ambushes much easier than Mobile Suits can on the surface. Its why the EFSF still use their Type 61's, even Zeon Remnants still use HT-01B Magella Attack Tanks." "Well, I don't have any complaints, but we've got one problem." Ron said, "We need those Vipers in the launch tubes ASAP."

Jaden looked at Ron surprised "Why?" He asked, and Ron sighed. "I'm not comfortable jumping the Jupiter into Ragnar orbit from the surface." He said, "We're going to need to jump into orbit first."

"But the Cylons are going to be waiting for us." He said, and Ron nodded. "I know. That's why I want those Vipers in the tubes with every pilot we've got flying them." He said, "After that, we can jump to Ragnar."

Jaden nodded "Sure thing," he said as he looked at a clipboard in his hand "Lloyd gave me the rundown, it turns out _Jupiter _has two full squadron's of Mark II Vipers, 12 each, and one squadron of Mark III's. The other four Battlestar's here each have one Squadron of Mark II's each. We've already begun bringing them up to fighting strength, and we can get them into the tubes in a few minutes at best." He then looked up at Ron "But what about the CCE UUHF transmission we were picking up?" He then Asked.

"I've sent Aunty Karen to look into it." Ron said, "She should get back in two or three hours." Suddenly, something exploded nearby. "Shit. Toasters are attacking again!" Lloyd cursed, as Ron looked at his uncle curiously. "Again?" He asked.

"They keep attacking once every few days." Lloyd explained, "We've got mines and shit out there to keep the bulletheads from getting close, but we're starting to run out."

"Good thing we're here." Ron said, as he turned to Jaden "Jaden, you've got your LBMG, and I think it's a perfect chance to test it under battlefield conditions!" He said.

Jaden grinned "I think you're right!" He said as he pulled out his LBMG and ran off to join the defenders. Ron turned back to his uncle "Uncle Lloyd, can you get one of those Raptors fit with ATGMs and AAMs?" He asked.

"I'm not military, but I think I can." He said, "Why?"

"If I'm right, the Cylons know me and Jaden are here." Ron said, "I'll give the ground pounders air support!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Jaden shouted back, "Oh, and just so you know, we've got Four 's, a , and two more Raptor Mk.I's already prepped for combat! And most of the Landram's and a few tanks are good to go too!"

Ron nodded "Then get me some people to crew them!" He shouted back "Come on! we've got 9000 people to save here! Let's move!" They rushed to their respective posts, preparing to defend the base from Cylon attack. Nephew and uncle rushed to one of the Raptors, which was loaded with a full set of decoys and ATGMs, but only two SAIM-56 Sparrow missiles. "I'll get a good look at what we're facing; you load those missiles!" Ron turned on the DRADIS, and his fears were proven right: 5 Heavy Raiders and at least one squadron's worth of regular Raiders were inbound. "FRAK!" Ron shouted as he tapped his wireless. "Jaden, we're got incoming: five Heavies, at least 40 Sparrows!"

"_We're outnumbered._" Jaden said with a sigh, "_As usual._"

"That's life, huh?" Ron muttered, "How many pilots do we have?"

"_We've got 20 civilian pilots, but-_"

"Right now, anyone who's held a stick is what I need!" Ron demanded, "Get them in those cockpits! Anyone who ain't needed for the ground op, keep loading everything onto those ships! As soon as we're ready, we're getting the hell off this planet!"

Lloyd leaned into the Raptor. "I've got a few more missiles on this thing, but-"

"It'll do, Uncle Lloyd." Ron said as he got into the pilot's seat and started up the engines. "Thanks. Is there anyway we can get the other 15000 people here?"

"There's a tunnel leading from here to the base." Lloyd said and Ron nodded. "Then get everyone from there here, RFN!" He shouted, as he started closing the hatch, and his uncle ran off.

Ron sighed "Just like old times." He muttered as he took off, leaving the Battlestar, then the museum via breaking open the glass roof. "That's not something I want to do again."

* * *

_**Meanwhile**_

_**Outside**_

* * *

"INCOMING!"

"Put the lead out!"

"Fraking Toasters!"

Outside was a total battlefield, as the Heavy Raiders had landed, and begun deploying dozens of Cylon Centurions and a handful of Organic Models in modified body armor. They charged and opened fire on the Colonial defenses with everything they had while Raiders still in the sky provided air support.

However, on the Colonial side they were holding the line. A good number of men and women had set up sandbags and other defensive positions, as four Devastator Tanks were rolled out from the Museum along with seven Landrams. They opened fire, the Devastators doing their best to hold off the Cylons, while the Landrams, having been modified for Anti-Air capabilities, were opening fire on the Cylon Raiders that swarmed the skies until their own Vipers and Raptors could launch.

Jaden had taken cover behind some sandbags, as Centurion machine gun fire hit the opposite side of the bags. He rose from his cover for a few short moments as he opened fire with his LBMG, effectively ending six Centurions before he ducked for cover again "Damn, there are a lot of em!" He shouted. At that moment, two AGM-9 Hellfires hit the Centurion line as Ron's Raptor flew overhead, chin-mounted 50mm cannon spewing tracers like mad.

"_Ground team, Psycho: I'm providing RCAS!_" He said, "_Paint your targets!_" Jaden looked at Ron's aunt. "RCAS?" He asked.

"REALLY Close Air Support!" She said as she pointed her Cx4 at a squad of Centurions, using its mounted laser and Ron sent a missile their way, destroying them.

Suddenly, the Cylons started retreating, but Ron launched four more ATGMs at them, destroying most of the remaining Centurions and knocking out a Heavy Raider. The rest, not wanting to either by shot down or killed, went on full retreat.

The Marines came out of their cover, as they watched the Cylons in full retreat. Jaden's eyes were narrowed however "That was too easy." He muttered, "They had us dead to rights, even with air support."

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." Karen said, as Ron set his Raptor down nearby, just inside their lines. Once he got out of the Raptor, he approached the two and looked at his aunt. "Aunty." He said nodding "You're back early."

"I found what you guys were looking for." Karen said, gesturing over her shoulder as Ron spotted a large number of Marines wearing what looked to be experimental body armor. And if he wasn't mistaken, it bore CCE markings. Ron's eyes narrowed at them "What the hell?" He muttered, catching Jaden's attention.

"What's wrong?" He asked, as Ron's eyes never left the Marines.

"Those guys are CCE," He said, "But I don't remember anyone starting up a new armor program."

"That's because you didn't need to know, sir." One of the Marines spoke who walked towards them, by both the voice and movement Ron and Jaden could tell it was a woman. Her armor was colored Jet Black from head to toe, only her Visor was colored a bright golden color. When she was before both of them, she saluted "Lieutenant Allison Church, 145th CCE Freelancer Division."

Ron narrowed his eyes. "Ok. Why haven't I heard of you?" He demanded.

"Vice-Admiral Avalonia, sir." She said, "He wanted this program kept secret from anyone who didn't need to know."

"I was the CCE field marshal." Ron growled, "Shit like this is within my jurisdiction."

She shook her head. "No, sir, it wasn't." She said, "We'll explain later, sir: Cylons are gonna come back with reinforcements soon."

Ron looked at his aunt. "Aunty, get some of your sappers out there: I want those mines recovered." He ordered, as Karen nodded as she went out to get the Sappers. "Everyone else, get everything onto the Battlestars! As soon as those FTLs are fixed, we're getting the frak off this planet!" The drafted civilians and regular military personnel got to work.

"Jaden," Ron said, "We're going back to the Raptor we came here in and getting it back here."

"How?"

"I build ships for a living. Hotwiring a car's easy."

* * *

**New Caprica - Atlantis II**

* * *

After a very tearful reunion between Aren and Sutura with their children, Aren, Sutura, were now inside another room in the massive complex which appeared to be a massive briefing room. Inside was Admiral Adama, President Roslin, Nasha, Zar, Matt, and Amy. Matt and Amy were by their Parents side, while Adama, Roslin, Nasha and Zar sat across from them at the table. "So, I assume you have a lot of questions." Aren said, and Adama scoffed. "THAT'S an understatement, Mr. Takeo." He said, "What I've been told by Commander Pinkerton and your son, Earth does not have FTL capability."

Sutura sighed. "Technically, it doesn't." She said, "We, or at least most of us, aren't from Earth. I believe your sacred scrolls have a phrase: 'All of this has happened before, All of this shall happen again'?"

Roslin nodded. "Yes." She said.

"In a way, Madam President, that's true." Sutura said, "History has repeated itself at least twice now. Perhaps more. We're not humans from Earth. At least, I'm not."

Adama glared at them. "If you're going to make sense, please start." He growled.

"4000 years ago, the 13th Tribe left Kobol after a bloody war." Sutura began, "In a way, it was the same war you fought not long ago with the Cylons: man against machine. Daniel Graystone was not the first human to create the Cylons, as they had been created before, on Kobol. Like Graystone had designed himself, these Cylons were servants to the people. And we treated them as such... as simple machines, even as they gained sentience..."

Roslin chuckled bitterly. "The Cylons were created by man." She said, "They were created to make life easier on Kobol and the 12 Colonies. And then the day came, twice over, that they decided to kill their masters. Is that what you're telling us?"

"For the most part," Sutura said, shaking her head "But the 13th... we refused to abandon the Cylons... we thought we had learned from our mistakes. We believed the reason the Cylons rebelled was because we mistreated them, used them as essentially a slave labor force. We didn't care about their rights as independently thinking beings..."

"We of the 13th Tribe left those of the other 12 who moved to Cyrannus, where we found Earth." She continued. "We discovered, to our surprise, that Earth already had a primitive human population. They were just beginning to grasp the idea of permanent settlements, moving from nomadic tribal ways. When we arrived, we believed we could help the humans ascend to our level of technology."

Adama blinked, while this confused Zar and Nasha completely. "That ancient alien crap's real?" Zar asked.

"In a way, yes." Aren said. "Trust me, it sure as hell shocked me when Sutura told me. She said they created a massive artificial island in what we know as the Mediterranean Sea, where they essentially helped in the development of many early civilizations. Like the Greeks, Romans, even Egyptians. Teaching them how to build cities, mathematics, and of course Religion. This artificial city was called... Atlantis."

"Wait a second." Nasha said, "I thought that place was a myth for treasure hunters! That it wasn't real!"

"Well, it was real." Sutura said, "It was the home for the Humans from Kobol... and our Cylons."

"When they left Kobol, they took some of the loyal Cylons with them," Aren said, "Sutura told me not all of the Cylons fought against humanity, as some stayed loyal and helped save it. Its thanks to many of these Loyal Cylons that anyone escaped Kobol during the war."

"When we arrived at Earth... we knew we had to change our way of thinking Cylons," Sutura said, "We could no longer repeat our past mistakes, and treat them as slaves... so we treated the Cylons, as equals. Same rights as humans, and treated just as fairly as we would a human. And for years, we lived in peace and harmony with them."

Adama, however, burst the bubble. "All good things come to an end, though." He said,"What happened?"

Sutura sighed "There... was a Virus." She said, "Some sort of infection... it only infected Cylons, both the Machine-types and Organic Types. Even Hybrids were affected by the disease. Only pure humans were not affected. A vast majority of the Cylons believed we had set the Virus upon them... we would never of done such a thing, but rumors spread like wildfire... and then the War for Atlantis began."

"Son of a bitch." Adama muttered. "That's...insane, to say the least. I think Ron would enjoy this story. I'd think he'd even bring popcorn."

Sutura ignored that as she continued "Anyways, the war lasted for many years... we managed to contain most of the fighting within Atlantis itself. But the Cylons threatened to wipe out all of the native humans on Earth. We were told this by the few Loyal Cylons who knew that we would never betray them. So... we acted."

"Most of Atlantis was submerged underwater, where it was destroyed by Thermonuclear Detonations." Aren said, "_Atlantis II _is the single fragment of Atlantis that survived and escaped into space, with the 13th Tribe, and the few Loyalist Cylons who did not choose to stay behind, and ensure the detonation of the Nukes, and the survival of humanity."

"That's all well and good, Mr. Takeo..." Roslin said as she took of her glasses. "But how do YOU come into this? From what we've been told, you're from the Republic of Zeon, which is an Earth orbit-based nation."

Aren chuckled a bit as he glanced at Sutura "Would you believe me if I told you it was a freak accident?" He said, before Sutura began again.

"After we left Earth, we remained in orbit around the planet in _Atlantis II,_ monitoring how Earth's human population began to prosper." She said, "We also discovered that the Virus that affected the Cylons was actually crafted by a Cylon who was a Rebel from the Kobol Wars, that stowed away with the 13th. We managed to find his notes, and develop a permanent cure for the disease. But as humanity prospered and began growing to the stars, we relocated to Mars."

"Which, is where I come in." Aren said, "I was on a mission investigating Mars for future colonization... then my ship was damaged from a stray meteor. I probably would be dead and drifting if the people of _Atlantis II _hadn't of found me." He then smiled as he looked at Sutura "And _that _is how I met your Mother, the daughter to the very leader of _Atlantis II._"

"Then how did you get back to Earth?" Adama asked, "You spent time there after you met her."

"Oh, I stayed there for a while..." Aren said, "Got to know Sutura, and eventually we got married. She decided to leave _Atlantis II, _and come with me back to Earth. I had to hide her on my return trip, since I didn't want anyone in the Republic asking questions as to where I got a new passenger from since I was on a solo-mission. We moved in Side 3, got 'officially' married there, and had Matt, Jaden and Amy as our children." Aren smiled a bit as he glanced at their children "The most beautiful kids I've ever seen... I had always wanted to be a father."

"And now we come to the hard question." Roslin said, "How the hell did you end up HERE, thousands of lightyears from the Sol System? Better yet, WHY?"

Sutura sighed a bit "Because... we got word from the Final Five." She said, "Our five top scientists... the ones who created Resurrection Technology for Cylons... and Humans."

At this, Roslin fainted. Adama was close to following suit, but didn't. "Cylons AND humans? How-"

"Let me explain," Sutura said, "The Final Five wanted to create a way for immortality for Humans and Cylons, to close the gap between Synthetic life and Organic life. They were also the ones who helped make the cure for the Cylon Virus. They created Resurrection Tech, as when they died on Atlantis during the war, they were revived on _Atlantis II _shortly after. They copied all of their notes here, and we created a smaller version of a Resurrection Hub. For those who wish it, they can die and be reborn if they so want too." She smiled a bit "I may look like my 30's... but I am MUCH older than I look, like near the hundreds. And Aren has also been given access to Resurrection as well."

Adama was now on the edge of fainting. Before he could, though, he wanted his question answered. "Then how did you get here?" He asked, "Your ship doesn't have an FTL drive: Racetrack confirmed that when she found it!"

Sutura sighed "Well, its like this." She began, "We got word that the Final Five had reached the 12 Colonies... but they also discovered the war already going on between Humans and Cylons... what we feared would happen, as we wished to prevent that, and show coexistence was possible. In order to end the war, they told us they told the Cylons that in exchange for signing the Armistice, they would give them Humanoid Bodies, and access to resurrection Technology."

Adama got angry at this point. "And yet they attacked the Colonies, wiping out everyone there 40 years later!" He shouted, got up, rage in all of his features. "I'm done listening. Commander Pinkerton and your son can deal with you when they get back."

"How about you let them finish the story," Nasha said, turning back to Aren and Sutura "Well?"

"When we heard that... we knew they were making a mistake." Sutura said, "These Cylons held too much hate for the 12 Colonies... giving them Humanoid forms and Resurrection Tech would only cause more conflict in later times. So we set out in our ship, after creating a very... antiquated FTL device, and set out for the colonies to warn them, and stop the Cylons."

"But, our FTL drive malfunctioned, and when our ship made its first long-distance jump, the FTL drive literally disappeared." Aren said, "And when we left FTL, our ship spun out of control... and crash-landed here. In order to preserve power, we had everyone enter Cryo-stasis, and have the ship on minimal power consumption. As we hoped _someone _would find us."

"A miracle that Racetrack misjumped and ended up here, then." Adama said, "Well, if I ever meet these Final Five, I am going to make them regret ever coming to the Colonies."

* * *

**Back on Tauron**

* * *

They had stripped the museum completely: everything was on board the Battlestars. "Commander, board reports green: we're ready to jump." The FTL Operator said.

Ron, who, along with Jaden, had gotten back with the Raptor merely minutes before, nodded and picked up the phone as they stood on the CIC of the ship. "This is the Commander." He said, "All hands, brace, brace, brace!" He hung up. "Uncle Steve, jump the ship."

"Got it!" Steve said, as he turned the jump key, and _Jupiter_ made her first FTL jump in 40 years, as the Valkyries soon followed, destroying the museum.

In orbit, the _Jupiter_ and her escorts reappeared in high orbit over the planet. "DRADIS?" Ron asked the DRADIS Operator. "Uh, I think I've got Cylons!" He said, "Five-no, eight Baseships inbound! They're all launching Raiders!"

"No." Ron muttered, "We can't hold off that many." Ron sighed. "Action Stations! All guns, bear on the targets and spool up the FTL drive! I'll plot our jump back to Ragnar!"

"Should we launch fighters?" Jaden asked, but he shook his head. "No point. We've got the planes, not the pilots." He said. "Only five other in the fleet are rated to pilot Vipers."

Jaden growled a bit, as the _Jupiter _suddenly rocked from a few minor explosions from missiles "Come on, baby, hold it together..." Jaden muttered under his breath. Outside in space, the Basestars launched missile after missile at the fleet of Battlestars. The Colonial ships intercepting most of the missiles, but what they did not intercept hit their ships hulls. Minutes passed, as their ships were shaken with explosions.

However, suddenly, just as it seemed to be the last Salvo would bring out the Nukes...the Basestars Jumped away, with their Raiders soon following suit.

"What... the fuck?" Jaden asked shocked as he looked at the DRADIS screen. "Ron... they're retreating."

Ron scowled. "Yeah. But why?" He asked, "Cylons don't just cut and run, not when they had us outgunned and outnumbered." He then sighed "Even so, I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth." He looked at the acting DC team leaders. "Get me damage reports. I want to know how much damage _Jupiter_ took. I'd rather not have a repeat of the Angel Incident."

"Got it, Commander!" The civilians said as they ran off.

"Angel Incident?" Jaden asked, and Ron sighed. "There was a pocket Battlestar named _Angel_." He said, "One day, after taking so much damage, the ship jumped, but the jump broke the ship's back: the structural supports snapped and the ship shut like a book, killing everyone inside."

"Nasty." Jaden muttered, and Ron nodded. "Yeah, and I'd rather not have a repeat of that." Jaden shuddered, picturing the ship collapsing in on itself, killing everyone on board.

"Commander, FTL drives are spooled up." Steven said.

"We'll wait until I've got a damage report, then we'll head to Ragnar." Ron said, "After that, we're leaving Cyrannus."

* * *

**Ragnar - Rendezvous point**

* * *

While the Tauron operation was almost a disaster, the rest of the mission was smooth as freshly poured glass. They had recovered more warships and stripped down every wreck. They even managed, somehow, to fix up Scorpion Fleet Shipyards, fit it with an FTL drive and jump it back to the rendezvous. They would need it.

On board the _Jupiter_-Class Battlestar _Korhal_, Lt. Colonel Naoko Akagi was waiting for her CO to return. "If they're not back in three hours, we have to leave them behind." She muttered.

"DRADIS contact!" The _Korhal's _DRADIS operator sounded off, "Picking up five Battlestars, one _Jupiter_, four _Valkyrie_!"

"Transmission coming in from the Jupiter-Class!" The Comm Operator said, as Naoko picked up the phone. "_Korhal_ Actual to unidentified vessel:" She said, "State identity now, or you will be fired on."

"Korhal, Jupiter _Actual: Naoko, do you REALLY want to test me?_" Ron's voice came through, as Naoko sighed in relief. "Commander." She said, "I apologize. I thought-"

"DRADIS contacts!" The Operator said, "It's the Raptor team, but they're missing Raptor 612." Naoko filed that away. "Fine." She said, "Tell the _Vulture_ to prepare jump coordinates. We're going back to the Fleet."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

**6 hours later - Colonial Fleet - acting flagship Battlestar **_**Mercury **_

* * *

Sasha watched the DRADIS sweeps go back and forth like a Cylon's eye. Or a metronome. That worked, too. "Ma'am, you should stop staring at the screen." Zane said, "I think the ship will try to jump if you pick it up."

"Zane, shut up." Sasha muttered, as Zane shrugged. "Just trying to-"

The DRADIS then showed multiple contacts: all Colonial. "It's the rescue fleet." Zane muttered.

"They're late." She said, "Send them the FTL coordinates to New Caprica, then jump us there." "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Jupiter **_**- CIC**

* * *

"SIr, I just received a set of FTL coordinates." The DRADIS Operator said, as the DRADIS beeped as contacts started disappearing. Ron blinked. "They jumped." He said, "Why the frak did they jump?"

"Steve, put in the coordinates and send them to the rest of the fleet." Jaden said, "Maybe we'll get our answers there."

Ron groaned in annoyance. "We just got back!" He growled, "This ship needs heavy duty repairs, and I can't exactly do that with the Fleet gone to Gods know where!" He snarled and got ready to leave CIC. "Spool up the drives and jump us to the new set of coordinates!"

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- 15 minutes later**

* * *

Tyrol walked toward the Raptors that just got back from Caprica and the rest of the Colonies, where Adama and Tigh waited for them. "Hey, hey, guys, take it easy with it." He said, "Come on."

Starbuck grinned as she got off the Raptor. "Am I good or what?" She said, as Tigh looked on in horror.

"There's gonna be no living with her now." He muttered, as Adama walked toward the Raptor.

"It's good to see you." He said, "Welcome back."

Starbuck smirked. "Thank you, sir." She said, "I brought some friends with me."

"I see." He said, as Samuel left the Raptor. Starbuck looked embarrassed. "Right." She said, "Right. Um... this is, um... wow, um, this is Samuel T. Anders."

"I know who he is." Adama said.

Anders Stiffened a bit "Damn good to meet you, sir." He said.

Adama observed Anders for a few moments, before he noticed the uniform he wore "Caprica Buccaneers." He said.

Anders nodded "That's right." He said. Adama smiled a bit "Hell of a player." He said, "I'm a Picon Panther fan myself."

Anders had a small smirk "We enjoyed beating them too." He said, before he and Adama shook hands "It's good to have you aboard." He said.

"Thank you." Anders said, before Starbuck spoke up "I have news." She said, "Good news, actually. The Cylon occupation is over. They left. They're gone."

Adama looked at her like she was crazy "What are you talking about?" He asked.

Suddenly, Brother Cavil stepped forward "It's true." He said, "The Cylons have left the Colonies. They're headed for greener pastures."

Suddenly, Tyrol raised his sidearm and aimed it at Cavil's head "Security!" He shouted, as everyone looked at him in surprise, including Starbuck "What the hell?"

"Don't move!" Tyrol warned, "He's a Cylon."

"Looks like it," A voice said, as the others turned to see Jaden and Ron emerging from the next Raptor that arrived on the ship "Cavil, a Number One Cylon... Funny to find one of you here."

"Ah, Commanders Takeo and Pinkerton." Brother Cavil said in some surprise "I've heard much about you. In fact, if you don't mind, I would like to speak with you later, before you toss me out the airlock."

"We're not tossing you in an Airlock," Jaden said, "But we will put you in a brig for a short time, security reasons of course. But you'll be treated fairly."

"Marines!" Adama ordered as two Marines grabbed Cavil. "Take him to the brig. And find his counterpart: there's got to be another One around here somewhere."

"Sir, I think I saw someone that looks like him working in the Chapel." Ron said.

"Grab him and put him in the brig!" Adama said, before he looked at Ron and Jaden. "You knew?!" He demanded, "The whole time?!"

Ron sighed. "We didn't think there was a One in the Fleet until now." He said, "What the hell's going on-"

"Jaden?" A voice behind them said, as both men turned to face an older version of Jaden, and an older version of Amy. Ron looked between the two as Jaden gaped. "Holy shit. Fraking clones!" He shouted.

"Not exactly...Commander, is it?" The 'Jaden Clone' said, as Ron nodded. "Commander Ronald Pinkerton, Colonial Corps of Engineers." He said, still looking stunned "Who-"

"Aren Takeo, and Sutura Takeo." Aren said, as he and Sutura looked right at Jaden, whose eyes were as wide as saucer plates at the moment. "Jaden's father and Mother."

Ron looked between the two, his own eyes wide with surprise. "Yeah, I can see the resemblance." He said, "Fraking terrifying, if you ask me."

Jaden was completely frozen, unable to move. As standing not ten feet away from him, was the mother and father he has been searching for almost his whole life. "M-Mom...D-Dad...?" Was all that he could say.

Both Sutura and Aren smiled a bit, Sutura having a few tears in her eyes, and before anyone else saw it, the three of them found themselves in a near bone-shattering hug. "Its... its you..." Jaden whispered, "Its... really..."

Aren and Sutura nodded, as they returned the embrace wholeheartedly "Its Okay, don." Aren said, "We're here... we're both here, and never leaving again."

Ron looked at Adama, with a stare rivaling the Adama Glare. "Sir, I assume there's a story to this?" He asked.

"There is." Adama said with a tired sigh, "He'll tell you... but be warned, its one _hell _of a tale."

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- Brig - 10 minutes later**

* * *

'Caprica' Cavil, as he had been nicknamed, sat in his chair in his cell, where outside Roslin, Jaden, Aren, Sutura, Adama, and Ron stood watching him. "I'm here to deliver a message." He said, "After that, you can do whatever you want with me. I don't care."

Suddenly, the Fleet's Cavil was brought in, as he was shoved inside by a Marine "Would you mind telling me what's going on?" He demanded "I'm not a fraking Cylon. I'm not-" His denials ended when he spotted his Caprica counterpart. "Oh. Well... okay then." He muttered, as the Fleet Cavil stopped resisting and was put into the adjoining cell.

"Sorry to bust up your day, brother." Caprica Cavil said, "But there's been a change of plans. It's been decided that the occupation of the colonies was an error."

Fleet Cavil scoffed. "I could've told them that." He muttered, "Bad thinking. Faulty logic. Our first major error of judgment."

Caprica Cavil shrugged. "Live and learn." He said, "But the war heroes have managed to swing opinion over to their side." Adama and Ron raised an eyebrow. "What heroes?" Adama asked.

Caprica Cavil saw no harm in answering. "A Six and an Eight." He said, "The Eight you knew as Sharon Valerii." Both Colonial officers started getting angry, while Jaden blinked.

"Wait... you mean the one that used to be named Boomer?" Jaden asked as Caprica Cavil nodded. Jaden glanced at Adama and Ron "Why are you two so mad?"

"She _shot _me," Adama growled out.

"Yeah, because she was following her Cylon Programming, like Rhea was." Jaden said, "She probably had no control over her actions. I've also heard she'd been going through some psychological trouble, something about Tyrol and her dating and breaking it up."

"He tells the truth," Caprica Cavil said, "Boomer as you call her, was under severe psychological stress, she didn't want to believe she was a Cylon. She loved and still loves the crew of _Galactica, _including you, Adama. Her programming activated when she was on the Baseship she destroyed, she found other Number Eights like her onboard, which sent her 'over the edge' you can say."

Jaden nodded, "Alright, but who's the Six?"

"The Six, named 'Caprica Six' to most, was the one who designed the other half of the CNP Baltar wrote," the Caprica Cavil answered. "Their voices carry a lot of weight. So when they started talking about our mistakes and our corruption and our need for a new beginning, the rest of us listened."

Fleet Cavil continued for his Caprica counterpart. "You see, we're not like you." He said, "We can admit our mistakes and we're not afraid of change."

Roslin scoffed. "So you abandoned the Colonies leaving behind a devastated nuclear wasteland." She muttered. "And we're supposed to be grateful?"

"Our pursuit of this fleet of yours was another error." Caprica Cavil said, as he held up two fingers. "That's two for anyone who's keeping score. Both errors led to the same result: we became what we beheld. We became you."

Fleet Cavil nodded. "Amen." He said, "People should be true to who and what they are. We're machines. We should be true to that. Be the best machines the universe has ever seen. But we got it into our heads that we were the children of humanity. So instead of pursuing our own destiny of trying to find our own path to enlightenment, we hijacked yours."

"Cylon and man will now go their separate ways, no harm done." Caprica Cavil said.

Adama narrowed his eyes. "No harm?!" He said his voice raising, "You completely annihilated our race and destroyed our civilization!"

Fleet Cavil got angry while Caprica Cavil just sat there. This was something that both Ron and Jaden noticed. "Now if you going to start pointing fingers-"

"Where did the Cylons go?" Jaden asked suddenly, "Back to their home world?"

Caprica Cavil shrugged. "Well, I'd rather not say just now." He said, "Uh, let's just say we have other plans."

Adama huffed. "New marching orders by your one true god." He said, while Fleet Cavil sighed in annoyance. "There is no god." He said.

Caprica Cavil continued for his brother. "Supernatural divinities are the primitive's answer for why the sun goes down at night." He said, "At least, that's what we've been telling the others for years. Can't really prove it one way or the other, of course."

Roslin then came up with an idea. "I know a way to prove it." She said, her eyes narrowed "Throw them both out the airlock. Let them see if there really is a Cylon God."

"Not both." Jaden said, as Ron looked at him. "Just him." He indicated Fleet Cavil. "He's unrepentant: still thinks we should all die. The one from Caprica? Give him to us. He seems to have seen the light, so..." He looked at the Marines. "Shove the one from the Fleet out the airlock outside of Resurrection range of our ship. Caprica Cavil is ours."

"How are you so-" Ron began, before Jaden pointed to his head "Ah, right... Newtype..."

This bit of info caused both the parents to look at Jaden in surprise, while utterly confusing the Cylons, Adama, and Roslin. "Jaden, you're a NewType?" Aren asked, sounding surprised.

"Well... yeah," Jaden said, scratching the back of his head "I've always had a type of self-awareness... but recently they've been growing, especially after we linked up with the _Pegasus._ Is that... a problem?"

"Not at all," Sutura said, with a small smile "I was actually expecting this, most of the humans on _Atlantis II _are NewTypes, since they've been living in the colony for over two thousand years in space." Ron groaned. "Oh, Lords." He muttered, "I just KNOW I'm going to get a headache."

Adama and Roslin looked at Ron. "What's a Newtype?" Adama asked.

"You'll have to ask Jaden, Admiral. Or his parents" He said, "Thinking about it gives me a headache the size of Ragnar." Ron walked out of the brig.

"Commander?" Ron looked back in at Caprica Cavil. "I'd like to accompany my brother to the airlock, if you don't mind." He said, "Take his confession, if you will." Ron sighed. "Fine. We're watching you, though: no funny business." He said as he nodded at the Marines, who got him out of his cell.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- Port flight pod launch tube 12**

* * *

"I was doing fine here." Fleet Cavil growled at his brother, "Thanks for exposing me." Caprica Cavil scoffed. "You weren't doing fine, thank goodness." He said, "If you'd wiped out this fleet, you'd have made us even more irredeemable in the eyes of our parents."

"No, I'd have proved us to be superior." Fleet Cavil said, but Caprica Cavil shook his head.

"No, no, see, I've figured out what went wrong." He said.

"Well, that's a very useful revelation to have when you're standing in front of an airlock!" Fleet Cavil shot out.

"Nonetheless, our failure is obvious: we had our foot on the throat of humanity and we failed to step down hard enough. That was our error." Fleet Cavil said.

"Have you learned nothing in all this time in this fleet?" Caprica Cavil said, his eyes narrowed. "Because I learned a great deal among the rebels on Caprica. Every killing of a human being was a grievous error. Do you want to know why?"

"I really don't."

"Are you certain?" Caprica Cavil asked, "Because it's fascinating."

"Listen, Brother, if you're right, that means this whole project was doomed from the beginning." Fleet Cavil said, as Caprica Cavil nodded. "Yes." He said, "From the very top."

"Enough." One of the Marines said as he grabbed Caprica Cavil and pushed Fleet Cavil into the launch tube. Waiting in the control booth were Ron and Admiral Adama. Caprica Cavil joined them. "170 feet." Caprica Cavil said, "That's a long way to die, Commander."

"Cavil, I don't like your model." Ron said, "They're all assholes. You seem to be the only exception to the rule. I wonder why?"

"I spent a long time among the resistance fighters on Caprica." Caprica Cavil said, "I gained an...insight into humanity there."

"There was a member of the Final Five there, wasn't there?" Ron asked, as Cavil nodded. "Yes."

"Are you going to tell me who?"

"I can." Cavil said, with a small smile "But you don't want me to." Ron chuckled. "Oh?" He asked.

"Because we know you." He said, "You like puzzles. You don't like having the answer dumped onto your lap. That's why you haven't tried anything REALLY deep on my brother on _Mercury_."

"That, and it would be WRONG on so many levels." Ron said, just as Adama deactivated the safety on the launch tube controls. Caprica Cavil put his hand against the glass, much like Starbuck did when Leoben was flushed out the airlock 8 months before. Fleet Cavil followed suit, briefly touching the glass before walking to the center of the tube to die.

"Admiral, are we away from the Fleet?" Ron asked, and Adama nodded. "We jumped away while we were walking down here." He said.

"Good." Ron pressed the button, launching Fleet Cavil into space.

"Marines, please escort our guest to a Raptor." Ron said to the Marines, "I want him on the Garden of Thorns RFN."

"Aye sir!" The Marine said, "Come on." The Marines went to grab him, but Cavil put up his hands.

"I'll be no trouble, Commander." He said, "You can handcuff me if you wish, but I'll object to the manhandling."

"Objection noted." Ron said, "Cuff him, then take him to a Raptor." The Marines did just that and took Cavil away.

Ron then sighed "Now for the fun part: election day."

* * *

_**Three Days Later**_

_**Election Day - New Caprica Orbit**_

* * *

Three days had passed since the successful rescue at the 12 Colonies. Roslin was very happy to begin adding a few more zeroes to the board as the Colonial Population seemed to skyrocket. Although the loss of life from the fall was still heavy, they had managed to successfully raise their numbers from a few hundred thousand, to nearly eight million survivors, both Civilian and Military, and Dozens of new Colonial Battlestars and numerous other smaller ships both military and civilian were added to the fleet.

Needless to say, the entire fleet were riding on high hopes, as their survival odds had increased greatly. Now, the colonial ships were undergoing their own refit programs to bring them back up to date.

However, now a new obstacle has arisen: Election Day. It was fairly clear that whoever won may change humanity's fate forever. If Roslin won the election and remained as president, they would likely resume the search of Earth full-force. However if Gaius Baltar won, it was likely his first act would be full colonization of New Caprica, and probably abandon the search for Earth.

Even with the _Atlantis II, _their navigation database was corrupted after the crash. So they still had no idea what Earth's exact Coordinates were. However there was enough information which they believed would hopefully point them in the right direction at least.

Of course, no matter what way it swung, Ron wouldn't have a say in it. In exchange for their near-complete autonomy, no CCE officer could vote, which was a damning blow to Roslin, as everyone in the CCE supported her administration.

As for the people of Earth and _Atlantis II, _they, also, could not vote, as technically they were not in the Articles of Colonization, and were Independent. Another blow for Roslin.

"Well, either way we can still keep looking for Earth." Jaden said, in his quarters on the _Sydney _where He, Ron, Rhea, and Jaden's family all waited for the results. "CCE doesn't answer to the president either way, and Earth doesn't fall into Colonial jurisdiction either, not even _Atlantis II._ We can continue our search for Earth. On top of that, this could be a blessing in disguise. The Colonial Civilians now have a place to rest, and take a breather. Its better than needing to haul them all across space where they'd be in the most danger."

"That's what you think." Everyone looked at Ron. "What's wrong?" Jaden asked.

"If Baltar wins, Admiral Adama will be forced to stay behind." Ron said with a sigh "As the CCE's main job is to support the regular Fleet, I'm stuck here. And unless you guys have been practicing behind my back, none of your people can plot a workable jump."

Jaden groaned a bit "Shit... I didn't think about that..." he muttered, "But... we could at least send out a few scouts, right? Gain our bearing? I mean... we can't stay here on New Caprica forever, right?"

"It's alright." Ron reassured, "I can try and get your people trained on FTL plotting. What I'm concerned about is this." Ron pulled out a photo. "This is gun camera footage from your Gouf AR Type." Then he placed another one on the table. "That's from the Nu Gundam. What is the difference, and look REALLY closely."

Jaden took a look at the two, then paled as his eyes widened. "Oh, shit." He muttered, "The date's off! by over a year!"

"It's not UC 0091; it's UC 0093." Ron said, "I'm trying to figure out how it happened." The CCE head facepalmed. "Right, I keep forgetting to ask. How DID you guys end up in the Cyrannus System in the first place?"

"Freak accident, really." Jaden said, "The _Phoenix _and _Argama _fired their Hyper Mega Particle Cannons at one another. But in a one in a million chance, their cannon blasts collided, sending some sort of shockwave." Jaden sighed as he leaned back "We sorta guessed we opened up a sort of Wormhole in that event... or maybe some sort of Time-Space Rip or something."

"That's kind of how we created the first FTL drives, only using a REALLY big hadron collider." Ron said with a chuckled, remembering the experiment footage that he had seen. "Size of a city. YOU made a fraking time machine!"

"It wasn't really a time machine," Jaden said, "Like I said: total freak accident where HMPC blasts collide. We had _no _idea it would happen... so hopefully it never does."

"Well, I'm going to go check on the polls." Ron said as he stood up "Seems Zarek only trusts CCE personnel to do the counting. Ironic, considering we all hate him."

"Yeah, and we're meeting up with Nasha and Zar," Jaden said, "We're going to see Amuro and Char about how _they _got here over New Caprica." He then smiled "Geez I can't believe this... I'm actually going to be meeting my childhood _idols..._"

"Well, you have fun with that." Ron said, "I, on the other hand, am going to have the mind numbing job of counting over 7 million ballots. Hopefully, I don't go insane." He paused as he reached the hatch. "Well, MORE insane."

"Don't they have computers for that?" Jaden asked curiously "We have them at Earth."

Ron scoffed. "You're talking about the most technophobic people in the galaxy." He said, "We do almost everything manually."

Jaden looked at Ron incredulously, along with most of the others "I think you guys are a _bit _extreme with that..." Amy muttered, "You have our sympathies..."

"Well, I've got work to do." Ron said, "Have fun with your childhood heroes." Ron left, closing the hatch behind him. "The Cylons made the Colonials fear technology. They had to look backwards for protection."

* * *

_**Later, Garden of Thorns - Meeting Hall**_

* * *

Jaden and his family, plus Nasha and Zar, sat at the table where sitting on the opposite end, was Amuro Ray and Char Aznable. Both of them were sending quick glares at one another, but most of their attention was focused on the people in front of them.

Char himself turned to Zar "Well, Zar... I hope you can tell me what the _hell _is going on here," he said, "Because I am still confused."

"Why not you two start off first?" Zar asked, gesturing to the two of them. "What were you two doing before you found yourselves over New Caprica?"

"We were fighting over Earth." Char said, "I was in the Sazabi, which was destroyed by Amuro and his new Gundam. I was trying to drop Axis onto Earth, to make everyone evacuate the planet."

"What?" Nasha and Zar asked shocked, as Nasha spoke "Char... what the hell? What possessed you to do _that?_"

"To prevent another repeat of the One Year War." Char said, "Newtypes are the future, Nasha. Oldtypes, as much as I hate to say it, are in the past, and must be left there. Of course, Londo Bell tried to stop me."

"And we did." Amuro said, "The Nu Gundam's psycoframe-"

"Psycoframe?" Zar asked, with surprise "You mean Anaheim finally finished developing the Psycoframe system?"

"Yeah, they did." Amuro said, "Char leaked the data to Londo Bell and had it fit to the Nu Gundam. THAT backfired his plans for Earth, as the psycoframe pushed Axis away from Earth. After that...I blacked out and the next thing I know, Racetrack's Raptor is in front of the Nu Gundam over New Caprica, asking me who I am and how I got there."

Both Nasha and Zar glanced at one another "You don't think..." She said, but Zar nodded.

"It could be," he said. "So we were right... Psyco-Fields do exist..."

"Psyco-Field?" Amuro asked, confused as Zar explained.

"When we heard about the development of the Psycoframe at Grenada, we speculated several theories." Zar said, "Our Scientists believed that...if two M.S with Psycoframes come into close proximity to one another, it could create something we dubbed a Psyco-Field."

"A Psyco-Field, in theory, when caused by the contact, creates a unique spacial phase around an area of space, in which human consciousness is capable of manifesting as a physical phenomena." Nasha said, "It is a phenomena which deviates from the laws of physics, and within its space, it is possible for things like another person's emotions to be felt. We tried to replicate what Anaheim was developing... but there were too many unknowns for even us to continue development... the Psyco-Field must be what sent you here."

"Son of a bitch." Amuro muttered.

"It gets worse." Nasha said, "This might not be UC 0093 anymore. We checked your gun camera footage against ours. The dating is off by over a year and a half. We could've been sent through time as well as space."

"Of course, if we're lucky, that was only our case of traveling through time," Jaden said, "Considering we came here when two HMPC blasts hit one another... and you came from this Psyco-Field thing..." He then glanced at the two of them and sighed "Though, on another subject... why did you think this whole plan would work, Char?"

Char looked at Jaden oddly "What do you mean?" He asked, his eyes narrowing a bit.

"Well... the way I see it... both you and Amuro are both Right and Wrong at the same time," he said, causing both of them, and the others to blink. "Amuro, Char is right that people need to start leaving Earth, and starting life in space colonies, or on other planets. Or else Earth will suffer from Overpopulation, and as Zeon Deikun said, Earth will be crushed by the weight of Humans."

He then sighed "But on the other hand, Amuro is right, where you can't just force people to leave Earth Char," he continued. "Evolution can't be rushed, otherwise you could mess something up big time."

He then leaned forward on the table "This is why SOF was created," he said. "We want the people to begin moving into space in larger numbers like they were in early U.C... but we can't necessarily force them off Earth without major drawbacks that no one wants. If we crashed Axis onto Earth or another asteroid, the people of Earth would hate the colonies, and just start the wars all over again. If Humanity in the Earth Sphere is to survive, then the people in the Earth Federation, as well as the different factions of Zeon, need to get their heads on straight. That's why SOF is around."

Jaden then glanced at both Char and Amuro, who were looking at him in surprise "But right now, that doesn't matter." He said, "What matters now, is that we _all _need to work together in order to get back home. I know you two have grudges against one another - But during the Gryps Wars you managed to put those aside and work together. Well, same thing here. You two are going to need to work together again, and put aside whatever differences you have so we can go _home._ Can you do that?"

There was a long silence, which was only interrupted when A phone in the corner started ringing. "I'll get it." Zar said as he walked over and picked up the phone. "Yes?"

"_Commander Hellfury, this is Commander Pinkerton._" Ron said, "_I'd like to speak with Jaden: we've got a problem_."

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- ward room - 5 minutes earlier**

* * *

Gaeta looked at Tigh as he walked in. "Colonel, may I speak to you for a moment?" He asked, as Tigh walked over. "What's up?"

Gaeta held up multiple ballots. "Sir, I'm afraid these ballots from the _Zephyr _are wrong." He said, and Tigh raised an eyebrow. "What the hell are you talking about?" He asked.

"Doctor Baltar's name is spelled correctly on these ballots." Gaeta informed, "But this morning, the _Zephyr _called me and told me their ballots had a misprint. They misspelled Baltar's first name. We didn't have time to print new ballots, so I told them on my authority to go ahead and use them anyway. Baltar's name is spelled correctly here, so they couldn't have come from the _Zephyr_. They're frauds. Now there's a complete chain of custody from the _Zephyr _all the way into this room. So someone in the chain is either a perpetrator or at least a willing ally."

Tigh nodded. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention." He said, "I'll take care of it from here."

Gaeta blinked in surprise. "Sir, shouldn't we at least notify the civilian observers and the press that these ballots- "

"I said I'll take care of it from here!" Tigh said more forcfully, before Gaeta flinched and nodded. "Yes, sir." He said before he walked out of the ballot room an ran into Ron. "Sir."

"Gaeta, what the hell's going on?" Ron asked, "What's with the rush?"

"Sir, I think someone is trying to rig the election in President Roslin's favor." Gaeta said.

Ron groaned "Shit." He muttered, "I may hate the bastard, but if he's going to win, he's going to win fair and square. Call the Admiral: I'll deal with Tigh."

Gaeta nodded as Ron entered the ward room. "Saul." Ron said, as the Colonel looked at him. "Frak." Tigh muttered, "You're gonna tattle, huh?"

"Look, if I could've, I'd've voted for Roslin." Ron said, "But this is wrong and you know it."

"Pinkerton-" Tigh began to say, but Ron cut him off. "Stow it, Tigh." He said, as he drew his FN Five-SeveN, but he did not point it at him. "I'm taking you into custody. If we're lucky, no one will know about this debacle."

Tigh turned around, sighing as Ron took his sidearm. "This is a mistake, Ron." He said.

"Don't I know it." He said as he tied Tigh to a chair, and walked over to a phone. _"CIC._"

"This is Commander Pinkerton:" He said, "Please patch me into the Garden of Thorns."

* * *

_**Colonial One**_** - 30 minutes later**

* * *

Adama sighed, as he sat with Ron, Jaden, and Roslin in _Colonial One_. "When I confronted the Colonel, he admitted his guilt." He said, "He said he acted in collusion with your campaign manager, Tory Foster. Saul said Tory contacted him a few days ago. He did it because he felt that Baltar as President would be a disaster. I said I agreed, but that what he had done was illegal. A judicial tribunal may have to be convened."

Roslin shook her head. "Stop." She said, "I gave Tory the go-ahead. I didn't know exactly what she was planning. I certainly did not know about Colonel Tigh." She then sighed "Oh, my gods. But I did know that she was planning to fix the vote."

Jaden looked at Roslin incredulously. "You tried to steal an election?" He asked.

"Yes, I did." Roslin said, "And I got caught. But Gaius Baltar cannot become President of the Colonies. Bill, it cannot happen."

"Laura..." Adama said, "I don't want him as President either, but-"

"He's working with the Cylons." Roslin suddenly stated, surprising all three of them "I saw him just before the attack in Caprica with a copy of the tall blond Cylon woman. The same model who accused Baltar of treason before disappearing from _Galactica_. A Number Six!"

Adama blinked. "What the hell are you saying?" He demanded, "Why didn't you say something before this?"

Roslin shrugged. "Because I didn't remember seeing him with that woman until I remembered it when I was dying." She said, "I know how that sounds, but it's real. The same way Kobol is real, and the Tomb of Athena is real, and the map to Earth is real. Baltar is working with the Cylons."

Ron sighed. "Even if that's true, you have no proof." He said. Roslin sighed as she shook her head "No, I don't."

Adama sighed. "Do we steal the results of a democratic election or not?" He said, "That's the decision. Because if we do this, we're criminals. Unindicted, maybe, but criminals just the same."

Roslin nodded. "Yes, we are." She muttered, as Adama Glared at her. "You won't do it." He said, "We've gone this far, but that's it." Roslin looked at Adama. "'Scuse me?" She asked.

"You try to steal this election, you'll die inside likely move your cancer right to your heart." Adama said, "The people made their choice. We're gonna have to live with it." Roslin's voice turned pleading. "It's the wrong choice." She said, as All three men sighed. "Yes, it is." Adama said.

Roslin sighed. "All right. All right. All right." She said, "So that's it. We just give it up, just like that."

Adama shook his head. "The battle, perhaps." He said, "But not the war."

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- CIC - 4 hours later**

* * *

Adama sighed as he walked into CIC, less than an hour after Baltar ordered for the colonization of New Caprica. "Send word to the _Pegasus_ to launch their initial ground team onto the surface." He said, "Let's get a good look at our new home. Gods help us all."

"Bill, the Earth fleet-" Tigh began, but Adama shook his head "Isn't going anywhere." He said, "Ron's bound by his oath to support the regular Fleet, and no one from Earth can plot a jump worth a damn."

Tigh chuckled, remembering the story Aren and Sutura told them. "You've got that right." He said.

"And tell the crew...if they want to settle, they can." He said, as Tigh nodded, hating every second of Baltar's presidency. This would be the worst one yet, including Adar's second and last term.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Athena **_**- same time**

* * *

Misato was going nowhere. In fact, no one in the CCE wanted to be anywhere near New Caprica. Baltar had requested and ordered for their help in building a new city, but they refused, as they didn't answer to anyone but the Fleet Admiral. And Adama really couldn't care less. In fact, if it weren't for Ron, they would continue the search for Earth. Baltar could shove it.

* * *

**1 year later - Battlestar **_**Galactica**_

* * *

A quarter of the crew, including Tyrol and his new wife, Cally, had settled on the planet below, leaving the Battlestar at half strength. And, to Ron's horror, Adama had grown a moustache. It was coined by all as the Adamastache, and was a sign of BAD things to come. Right now, he was with his XO, trying to convince him to leave. "I'm telling you to go, okay?" Adama said, as Tigh shook his head. "No, it's not okay." He said, "I feel like I'm abandoning my post."

Adama sighed. "It's time to pack it in, Saul." He said, "You know it. Almost half the crew is down there on the ground already. We can barely put a squadron in the air to train, much less fly a decent CAP. We're not really doing too much up here anymore."

Tigh pointed out a problem in Adama's thinking. "You're staying." He said, and Adama chuckled. "Yeah, well, someone has to take care of the lighthouse." He said.

"Then I'll stay and take care of it with you."

"I appreciate that." Adama said, "But you know there's only one person per lighthouse."

Tigh sighed. "We both know the Cylons could still show up."

"Anything's possible." He said, "We've been orbiting New Caprica longer than we ran after the attack. I don't think they're coming back anymore. Colonel... good luck. If she gives you too much trouble, find yourself a younger one."

* * *

_**Meanwhile, On the Surface of New Caprica**_

_**New Caprica City**_

* * *

The City of 'New Caprica City' was actually doing surprisingly well, (not much thanks to Baltar). The early colonization was going bad at the start, with some major issues with medical and food supplies. Most of the people were still needing to live inside either tents or the ships they came on, as a cheap roadway was built. However, to the surprise of many, the people of Earth, both from the Garden of Thorns and the 13th Tribe from _Atlantis II, _volunteered to help out. Since, according to Jaden 'It was better than floating in space and doing nothing'.

With the help of the Terrans and 'Atlanteans' as some had jokingly called the people from _Atlantis II,_ they had managed to build a City. There were two parts to the city. The first was the 'Outer-City' which was mostly Small to medium-sized structures outside which surrounded the main city.

Beyond them, were the 'Inner-City', constructed within ten medium and small-sized domed cities, all surrounding the largest dome. These Domes had atmosphere control, and simulated a near identical atmosphere to Caprica or Earth. It shielded many from the more harsh coldness from outside the colony. Although there has been complains from those who live in the outer-city, the Atlanteans and Terrans promise them that, as they mine more resources from the planet, they will continue to build more Domes over their part of the city.

As for the _Atlantis II _herself, all of the damage had been repaired, and was once again spaceworthy. However they opted to have their ship remain on the surface of New Caprica for now, since there would be no real point to launch into space since they had no idea where to go to find Earth. Instead they simply repositioned _Atlantis II _to a more stable area next to where New Caprica City was being built.

Jaden himself, along with Rhea, his siblings, and some other Scrap Vultures, had moved into _Atlantis II,_ mostly because he wanted to be closer with his Parents. As much as Jaden didn't want to admit it, life on New Caprica _was _alright... no thanks to Baltar, as if it wasn't for their help, the people would probably still be living in tents with major shortages of supplies.

Jaden was currently, on a balcony of the house that he now lived in with his parents and family. He looked over the city of _Atlantis II,_ as he saw both the Humans, and their own Cylons work together. This was the first major surprise to almost everyone in the fleets. The 'Ancient Cylon' as they were called, were very cooperative with the people of Atlantis II, having both Humanoid Models and Mechanical Models. But unlike the 12's Cylons, these Cylons were surprisingly friendly and helpful. And their Humanoid Models were not limited to just eight different types.

Of course the Colonials were VERY hesitant about the Cylons, in fact they were down-right rejective at first... but, things began to change as time went by. Cylons helped build the city of New Caprica, and get Humans situated. In fact, there have been several incidents where Cylons have actually saved a few Humans from Work-related disasters, like one incident where building the new 'Capitol Building' of the Colonials, several Steel beams fell from a crane, and would of crushed several Human workers if a few Ancient Cylon mechanical Models hadn't of intervened, holding off the beams while the Humans ran.

Although there was still plenty of mistrust, the Colonials were beginning to at least tolerate the Cylons.

"Its amazing, isn't it?" A voice behind him said, as he turned to see Rhea step towards him, smiling. "Cylons and Humans together... its still not perfect, but... its certainly an improvement."

Jaden smiled as he nodded, before they hugged "Yeah, certainly an improvement." he said, before the two shared a quick but passionate kiss, as the year went by, and thanks to some 'Matchmaking attempts' conducted by both his family, and Ron pitching in a few times, Rhea and Jaden had finally officially hooked up. When they announced it, Ron simply said 'Its about damn time!' "So, how are you and Evanna?"

Rhea smiled as her hand moved to her, already, swollen stomach "We've been fine," she said, "She's been kicking a bit... just last night she kicked _hard._"

"Yeah, I was there." Jaden said with a chuckle, "Scared me half to death..." His own hand grazed her stomach "I still can't believe this... few more months... and I'm a dad."

"You're going to make a great father, Jaden." Rhea said reassuringly. Jaden smiled and nodded "Yeah... and you're gonna be a great mother." He said, as the two kissed again.

* * *

**High orbit over New Caprica**

* * *

In stark contrast, the CCE hadn't changed one bit. They refused to leave their ships and go to the surface. The only one who did was Ron, and even then only to visit Jaden. He continued development of new weapons for the Colonial Fleet, as well as some for the Earth Fleets. And after almost two years, Ron had FINALLY gotten a grasp on Minovsky technology. In fact, he was testing a new system using a customized Dart. Unlike most Darts, the GERWALK mode had been removed, as Ron had no problems flying an MS. Painted in CCE colors (White w/red and black trimming) he was testing it against refit CDF-01A1 Darts, the first model to use beam weapons.

All of the A1s were refit As with uprated reactors, but Ron's Dart was unique. It was one of the new-build YCDF-01Bs, which had beam weapons from the start. It also had the propellant tanks removed and the reactor REALLY uprated, as it used a simpler version of the CTP-drive, sans gravitic engines. Trailing him were one of the few regular Fleet teams to transition from Vipers to Mobile Suits without a problem: Angel Flight. "Angels, Psycho: you know the drill." Ron said from the controls of his Dart "Try to kill me." Of course, none of them were using beam weapons today, and they had their rifles slung. Instead, they were using, for lack of a better term, giant paintball guns.

"_Psycho, Hellion: we've tried this 12 times._" Asuka complained, "You keep beating us!"

"Quit bitching, Sohryu!" Ron shouted, "Let's get started." The four-ship formation broke and engaged the Minovsky Dart, but Ron used the superior engines to dodge every shot they fired at him. "_Frak!_" Asuka shouted, "_Hold STILL!_"

"Like that's happening." Ron said as he rushed Mari, hacking a smoke canister attached to the MS. "_Shit!_" Mari shouted, "_He got me!_"

"_Hellion, Berserker: try to bracket the Commander._" Shinji said, "_I should be able to take him down._" Asuka soon found herself under attack by the custom Dart. "Easier said then done!" She shouted, "Frak, he's almost unstoppable in that thing!"

Ron transformed and flew off. "GET BACK HERE!" Asuka shouted, as she shifted into Fighter mode as well, and sped after him. "Asuka, don't!" Berserker warned, but was too late as she ran after him, but was soon 'shot down' for her trouble.

"_Captain, should we-_" Rei began, before the Minovsky Dart hacked open another smoke canister, 'killing' Rei.

"Now it's just you and me, Shinji." Ron said, smirking "Daddy can't save you now!"

In the end, though, the result was always the same: Ron beat them thanks to his new (read 'Unholy') Dart's propulsion system. While it was unlike they'd be installing the Minovsky Drive system into every Mobile Suit, seeing as they weren't leaving New Caprica, it was always nice to continue testing.

"Angels, Psycho: see you next week." Ron said, as he turned his Dart around and flew off towarsd the planet.

"Where the frak are YOU going?!" Asuka demanded.

"New Caprica." Ron said, "I've got a few things Jaden and I to work on." The Minovsky dart transformed and jumped away, as, like the Raptors and all Darts built after the prototype series, it had an FTL drive. He jumped into the atmosphere, inside the dome city. "_GODDAMN IT, WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU_?!" The New Caprica City Portsman shouted, as it seemed to be a cosmic joke that Ron scared the shit out of everyone every time he jumped.

"Sorry." Ron said, even though the Portmaster knew he wasn't. "I'm landing now!"

* * *

_**Later, New Caprica City Defense Base**_

* * *

One of the Domes which had been created on New Caprica, as home to the New Caprican Defense base, also known as the Colonial Military Base. It was built close to the 'Starport' of New Caprica City, and was home too many of the military personnel of the Colonials. It was the only place on New Caprica where one might find some CCE personnel that were working on docked ships and vehicles.

One such vessel that was currently residing in one of the 'Drydocks' of the base, was the _Archangel,_ where her crew as on leave. But that was not the only ship there, as surprisingly in a neighbooring Drydock appeared an almost complete second ship which looked almost identical to the _Archangel._ In order to keep themselves busy, the people of Earth, and some CCE Personnel had tried to build a second ship to the _Archangel_ Sub-class. This ship, which has been decided to be named the _Dominion, _was to have all of the capabilities of the _Archangel, _only with notable improvements from data gathered from her older sister ship. The _Dominion _was also meant to carry several new Prototype M.S which Ron and Jaden have been developing, as would the _Archangel._

"You've been busy."Jaden said, as Ron, sipping his giant mug of tea, looked at Jaden. "Oh?" Ron asked.

"How the hell did you get the CTP to work on a Dart?" Jaden asked.

"I didn't." Ron said, shrugging "It's all Minovsky-based."

Jaden looked at Ron in shock, before he grinned and chuckled a bit. "So, you finally mastered it, eh?" He asked, "The Art of Minovsky Tech."

"And you haven't gotten FTL plots down pat?" Ron said with a smirk, "Come on, Jaden. I know you take that Raptor out for 'romantic' dates with Rhea."

Jaden blushed, and righteously so. "And here I was, thinking I was sly." He muttered.

"You can hide nothing from me when it involves FTL tech." Ron said, "But YOU'VE been hiding a few things from me. Why the frak didn't you tell me Rhea was pregnant?"

Jaden shrugged. "Thought you didn't want to know." He said, and Ron just looked at him. "Kid, if there was anything I want to know, it was that your girl was pregnant!" He said, "She's practically my cousin!"

"And you STILL haven't explained why you think that." Jaden pointed out, as Ron chuckled. "My father made the 0005s." He said, "They and the Final Five made the organic models. Hence, they're family."

Jaden just shook his head with a chuckle "You are an odd man, Ronald Pinkerton." He said.

"Comes with turning 70 last week." Ron said, tapping his arm "Thank the Lords for replacement bones, otherwise I'd be in a retirement home rather than doing what I do best."

"Actually... Ron, I've been thinking..." Jaden began, and Ron nodded for him to continue "My parents told me that, if I wanted... they could hook me up into their own Resurrection Network... and they also were wondering if you would like to be hooked in as well." Ron blinked. "Well, I'm going to have to consider the pros and cons. My bones have a titanium core, so if I get hooked up, I'm losing that."

"Well, we can work around that." Jaden said, "My parents took that into consideration, and are working on making it so any of your new 'bodies' will have the same Titanium Core. It wouldn't be at first, but they promise they would work on it if you accept." Ron sighed. "Well, I wouldn't have to deal with surgeries for organ replacement." He said, before he shrugged "What the hell. Tell them I'm in. But I get to off myself: no one does it for me."

Jaden smiled a bit, and nodded "I'll let em know when I get back," he said, "We'll just need some DNA samples of yours to start making you some bodies to enter. I accepted their offer earlier today, so my first few bodies will be ready by the end of the week."

Ron pulled out a knife and cut into his hand, drawing blood. "Will this do?" He asked.

"Umm... yeah, that works." Jaden said, "But you can wait for when we get to the Resurrection Facility on _Atlantis II _to draw the blood." Before Ron could say anything in return, his earpiece turned on. "Hold on a second." He said as he tapped the earpiece. "What?"

As whoever he spoke to spoke, slowly Ron's eyes widened slightly. "A DRADIS contact?" He confirmed "In that nebular soup?" Horror soon etched its' presence on Ron's face. "Oh, NO."

Jaden looked at his friend in worry. "What?" He said, as Ron looked at him. "It's a Cylon fleet." He said, "They found us. They found us!"

* * *

**New Caprica orbit - Battlestar **_**Galactica**_

* * *

"_We have to get out of here, sir._" Apollo said on the _Galactica's _comm from _Pegasus_, but Adama shook his head as he listened to his son. "We can't just leave all those people behind." He said.

"_There's nothing we can do!_" He said, "_It's taking us forever just to get to action stations over here. We're in no shape for a fight, sir._"

"Admiral, CCE forces are taking up defensive positions, giving us time to get to Condition One." Captain Aaron Kelly, _Galactica's _Air Boss and acting comms officer said, as Adama looked at the DRADIS. While still shitty from the Nebula's interference, at least it showed that the CCE were getting into position, giving them much needed time to get ready to fight.

"All decks finally report condition one, sir." Helo reported, "Should we launch the alert fighters?"

Adama looked at Helo, who, along with Sharon and her daughter, had transferred back to _Galactica_ to act as XO when Tigh left for New Caprica. "Can we get everyone off the surface?" He asked.

Helo shrugged "Maybe?" He said, "If we get them to haul it, and leave behind supplies."

"Admiral, I have Commanders Takeo and Pinkerton on the line," Kelly said, "Requesting for you."

"Put them on," Adama said, and moments later, Jaden and Ron's voices were on the Comm. "_Admiral, please tell me we _don't _have Cylons inbound._" Jaden muttered.

Adama sighed "Yes, we do." He said, "CCE Forces are already mobilizing into defensive lines as we speak. But we won't be able to hold them off forever."

Jaden sighed "_Well, its a good thing we prepared for this,_" he said, causing Adama and Apollo to blink in surprise. "What?" He asked.

"_Admiral, New Caprica City, at least the Domed Inner-city, can take off from a planetary surface and land somewhere else on another planet!_" Jaden explained, "_Each Dome is actually a Colony Ship like the _Atlantis II _is, installed with FTL. And during the past year I installed FTL drives on the _Atlantis II _when we settled here. All we need to do is evacuate the people in the Outer-City into the Colonies, and we're already good to go_!"

Adama chuckled. "Why do I always underestimate you two?" He said, "Begin jump prep. We're leaving."

"_Aye, sir!_" Ron said, "_The Evacuation shouldn't take too long, tell the CCE ships to hold them off for 30 minutes at least, or if they can, an hour. By then everyone should be in the Domes, and we can get out of here!_"

"_Also, I've told SOF and the Vultures to do the same._" Jaden said, "_They'll hold the line as long as they can before we jump with Garden of Thorns and the Colony Cylinders._"

Adama nodded "I'll send the message." He said, "You just be sure to hurry it up down there!"

* * *

_**Meanwhile, On the Surface**_

* * *

Gaius Baltar, elected president of the Colonies, was in the middle of nowhere. Why? Because his invisible 'friend', the Six which only he could see, telling him to get out of the city. He had walked all the way out of the city, and was wondering why the hell he listened to her.

"Great. I'm in the middle of nowhere." He said, "Now what?"

The Six that only he could see put her arms on his shoulder. "Now you fulfill your calling." She said, before suddenly he heard and felt rumbling. Baltar turned to face the city. The domes, somehow, were TAKING OFF. His eyes widened before he started running back, even though it was utterly futile, waving his arms. "WAIT!" He shouted "WAIT!"

In one of the domes, Ron and Jaden looked outside via a Camera, and spotted the President running towards them. They both promptly started laughing at his predicament. "Holy shit, I can't believe our luck!" Jaden shouted while laughing, as was Ron. "I hope the Cylons kill him." He said, "He was a bad president."

Jaden suddenly blinked, as he looked at Ron. "Hey Ron..." he said, catching his attention "With Balter Gone... who was his vice-president?"

Ron thought about it for a few seconds, before he paled and screamed. "NOOO!" Jaden raised an eyebrow. "Tom Zarek! I AM NOT HAVING THAT BASTARD AS PRESIDENT OF THE COLONIES! HE DIES, AND HE DIES NOW!"

Back with Baltar, the man had collapsed onto his knees. "They left me behind." He muttered, as the domes started jumping away, leaving him deserted on New Caprica. His paradise had become his hell. "This is my calling?! To die on this godforsaken planet?!"

"No." The Six said, as he then heard the whine of an aircraft turbine. To be exact, a Cylon Heavy Raider's 6 engines. "I'm guessing THIS is my calling?" He asked rhetorically "To die at the hands of the Cylons?"

'Six' wrapped her arms around Baltar's neck. "No." She said, "You're to join them."

The hatch opened, and out came a squad of Centurions, followed by a Five, a Six and an Eight.

The Six, looked at Baltar with mild surprise "Gaius?" She said, with surprise in her voice. And it was at that moment that Baltar realized that this was his Six, Caprica Six, the same one who seduced Baltar two years before. "Natasi?"

* * *

**117Jorn: HO-LY FRACK, this chapter is over 28,000 Words in length!**

**Ron the True Fan: And we have 10 more Cavils to slaughter! (looks at Jorn) Rock, Paper, Scissors?**

**117Jorn: *Shakes head* No, its your turn. I did it last time. **

**Ron the True Fan: Right. I forgot. (Whistles and a **_**StarCraft II**_** Battlecruiser rolls in) Overkill, anyone? (Charges up Yamato Cannon and fires, vaporizing the Cavils)**

**117Jorn: Geez... I think Overkill is an understatement there...**

**Ron the True Fan: Oh, wait. Isn't one of my quotes 'What the hell is overkill?' Either way, ten dead Cavils.**

**117Jorn: *Sighs* Anyways, stay tune for the next chapter people, until then... Ja Ne!**

* * *

**Ship Class: **_Zeus-_class

**Ship Type and Role: **Battlestar Dreadnought (Dreadnought/Carrier hybrid)

**Ships of the line: **_Zeus, Akron, Macon, Shenandoah, Erebus, Phobos, Deimos, Nemesis Tartarus _and _Moros_

**Manufacturer: **Colonial Corps of Engineers/regular Colonial Fleet after UC 0096

**Operators: **See above

**Height:** 4000 meters

**Length: **9000 meters

**Width: **5500 meters w/o flight pods, 7000 meters w/flight pods

**Power-plant: **8 x 300000 kW nuclear reactors, plus 4 x 6000 kW Minovsky-Ionesco reactors after refit

**Propulsion:** 4 x gravitic propulsion units, 8 x tylium reaction engine (latter replaced by CTP-drives after refit)

**Armaments: **64 x two-gun 1500cm turrets in 4 gun batteries, (20 dorsal, 20 ventral, 12 each on port and starboard sides) 200 x 600cm two-barrel turrets in 10 gun batteries, (75 dorsal, 75 ventral, 25 on port and starboard sides) 8000 x 60mm AA flak guns throughout hull, 6000 x 55mm Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) turrets throughout hull, 20 x semi-fixed 1500cm twin-barrel cannons in 'equatorial' belt, (4 bow-mounted, 8 on port and starboard sides each) 30 x 1500cm twin-barrel mega particle cannons (after refit)

**Complements: **60 x Viper squadrons, (20 planes each) 10 x Raptor squadrons, (10 each) 60 x Mobile Suits (after refit)

**Crew:** 15000 enlisted, 3000 officers, 6000 Marines

**Technical and Historical Notes: **The _Zeus_-Class Battlestar Dreadnought was built first as a technology demonstrator, then as a regular line warship. Heavier armed and armored then any ship before her, the _Zeus _and her ten sisters were also the largest things ever built by human hands as of UC 0087, dwarfing even the famous O'Neill-Class Island-3 colonies. All 10 _Zeus_-Class BSDs survived the Fall of the Colonies, and were the only Colonial warships not needing extensive modifications to carry Mobile Suits. The _Zeus _and all of her sisters were to be handed over to the regular Fleet less then a month after the Fall, but the Cylon attacks prevented this. (In real-life, three of the 10 ships are named after rigid airships: USS _Akron_, USS _Macon _and USS _Shenandoah_, which were, at the time, the largest flying machines ever built. The former two were also the first and only flying aircraft carriers)

**Appearance: **A gigantic _Mercury_-Class Battlestar with dorsal and ventral gun turrets

* * *

**Mobile Unit: **CDF-01A Dart

**Unit Type: **Mass Production Transformable Assault Mobile Suit

**Manufacturer: **Liberty Electronics/Colonial Corps of Engineers

**Operators: **12 Colonies of Kobol; Colonial Corps of Engineers;

**Overall Height: **19.59 Meters (M.S Mode)

**Power-Plant: **Minovsky Ultracompact Fusion Reactor, power output 1360 kW

**Pilot Accommodations: **Pilot only, in Panoramic Linear Cockpit in torso/fuselage;

**Equipment and Special Features: **Sensors, range 16200 Meters;

**Armaments: **1 x Thraxon MEC-17A 58mm Gatling Gun Pod, mounted under fuselage in M.A/Waverider Mode, hand-carried in M.S and GERWALK Modes when in use, usable in all modes; 2 x Thraxon ROV-217B Coaxial 12.5mm CIWS, fire-linked in head, usable only in M.S Mode; 2 x Thraxon MEC-A6 30mm Thraxon Forward-firing Kenetic Energy Weapons, mounted on Fuselage, usable only in M.A/Waverrider or GERWALK Mode; 2 x Beam Sabers, stored in forearms, hand-carried when in use; 4 x HD-70B Lightning Javelin II Micro-Missile Launcher Tubes, five missiles per-tube, stored under wings, usable only in GERWALK and Fighter Modes;

**Technical and Historical Notes: **During the beginning of the Colonial-Terran alliance between the survivors of the 12 Colonies of Kobol, the Colonial forces made wide-use of the TMSF-081 Patriot series of Mobile Suits, produced and given to them by the Swords of Freedom (SOF). In early months, the Mobile Suits were highly successful. The Colonials had been fully introduced to the power of the Mobile Suit, however they sought to create their own. As effective as the Patriots were, it was clear that their pilots were still use to piloting Vipers. As such, they wished to produce a Mobile Suit which can transform like Commander Ronald Pinkerton's MSN-001 Delta Gundam.

In the months following, the data collected from the Delta Gundam, plus data from the Viper , eventually their efforts showed fruition with the first prototypes of the CDF-01A Darts. The Dart was the perfection hybrid between the Viper and Delta Gundam, with the mobility and speed of both units combined. Also, an additional feature was added: GERWALK mode, which was a mixture of both Waverider/Fighter mode and M.S mode. This mode gave the Dart Gundam the legs and arms of the Mobile Suit, yet still keeping the main body of an M.S allowing it superb VTOL capabilities. Even with its introduction though, TMSF-081 Patriots would still see service in other branchs of the Colonial Military, such as the Army and Marines after the war.

**Appearance: **Looks like the VF-25 Messiah from Macross Frontier

**Colors: **White with Red Trimming


	8. Chapter 8

**117Jorn: Hello Everybody, me and Ron are back with another chapter too Law for the Wolves! **

**Ron the True Fan: And hopefully, the RVB crew can screw off. I've gotten a dozen letters from Sarge, and what was written in them is NOT fit to be repeated.**

**117Jorn: Hey, after this chapter, they're gonna be in it a lot more! Consider as of thsi chapter, this is becoming a Triple Crossover. What are we crossing over in addition? Read and find out! Anyways, lets get started!**

* * *

_**Somewhere in Space**_

* * *

Gaius Baltar Jerked back from a very strange dream as he panted a bit. He looks around, but finds himself not in the room of his Capital Building on New Caprica, nor on _Colonial One._ The room was brightly lit unnaturally so. A red Cylon band of light encircles the room, and large arrangements of lights pulsate.

Balter glances around, and noticed four things: One, he was naked **(117Jorn: There's a thought for your nightmares kiddies)**, Two, the bed he woke up in was baroque, Three, there's a bathrobe hanging on the wall, and four, which he noticed after he got out of bed and grabbed the Bathrobe... there was a Fracking Centurion standing at the other end of the room, watching him, as they just stare at one-another.

"Umm..." Baltar muttered at the Cylon "Hello?" The Centurion didn't answer. Of course, how could it? Ron said they didn't have speak capability. (Rather, he was bitching about the fact that the LOOKED badass, but didn't have badass voices) At that moment, though, a Three walked into the room, just after the Centurion left. "How are you, Gaius?" She asked.

Baltar sighed. "I'm alive." He said, "I suppose that's something." She grinned and handed him some pills. "Thank you." He said, accepting the pills. She tried to sit down beside him, but he jumped onto his feet. "You'll have to excuse me, I'm slightly confused." Balter said, "How long have I been here exactly?"

The Three shrugged. "Three days." She said, and Baltar was tempted to laugh at the irony of the statement. "Three days?" He asked, "So it's taken you three days to remember where I was?"

She looked offended. "No one's forgotten you, Gaius." She said, as Baltar took the pills. "It's just there's been some controversy about whether or not you should've let on board or not."

Baltar looked at her. "I can't believe there's still question of my value." He said, as the Three watched him from the couch.

"There'll always be a question." She said, "You are a human. However, the vote's deadlocked. Three in favor of your being allowed to stay, and three against. With one model still undecided. The fact is, the decision rests with the Sixes."

* * *

_**Colonial One**_** - same time**

* * *

It was said that the Colonial Corps of Engineers did many things, but didn't kill the President of the Colonies. Now, though, Ron might be making an exception as he held a Mossberg 500 Bullpup shotgun to Tom Zarek's head.

"Now, this isn't funny, Commander." Tom said, not even flinching at the Gun.

"You've got two choices, Zarek: resign and never enter politics again or I blow your brains out." Ron said, as he pumped his shotgun "I'm liking option two, personally."

Zarek stared at Ron in shock. "You're insane." He said.

"And only NOW are you figuring this out?!" Ron asked with a sadistic Grin.

"I thought the tales of your insanity were exaggerated!"

Ron scoffed. "Yeah, right." He said.

"Ron!" Jaden shouted as he rushed into the cabin. "Ron, what are you doing?"

"Getting payback." Ron said, "This fraker killed fifty of my people on Sagittaron and I vowed that I'd avenge them one day. That day is today. You were lucky, Zarek. That prison sentence saved you from me. So did the Quorum seat. Now? You've got a problem. You were Baltar's lackey. His KING lackey. That means everyone wants you dead."

Zarek narrowed his eyes "Do you think everyone will support this course of action, Commander?" He asked, "Admiral Adama-"

"Will be pissing ambrosia for a week the second I pull the trigger!" Ron said, "Hell, half the Fleet wants you dead and the other half doesn't care!" Then Ron smirked and aimed at a window.

"You wouldn't." Zarek said, but Ron smirked "Death doesn't mean anything to me." He said, "I die. So what? As long as I take you with me, why should I care?"

"Ron, calm down!" Jaden said, "Zarek has already agreed to step down!" Ron blinked in surprise as he looked at Jaden "What?"

Jaden nodded "Yeah, Roslin told me." He said, "Zarek said he'll hand the presidency down back to her. The only hitch is that he's Vice President."

"Its true," Zarek said calmly, "I simply wish to be involved in the government, and know what is going on. I may be many things, Mr. Pinkerton... but I am no idiot given our... current circumstances." Ron snarled. "I'll quote you on that the second you do something stupid." He said, "After that, your ass is mine."

He had to give Zarek credit. He didn't flinch. "Well, let's hope I don't do anything...stupid, Commander." Ron lowered his weapon. "But next time, I will not listen." He said, "You murdered my men simply because we were trying to give people on Sagittarion a paying job. I will kill you one day. I promise you that." Zarek did his best, but he still paled a bit, as he could tell Ron was NOT kidding. "If you'll excuse me, Mr. President." Ron said, before he left the cabin, followed by Jaden.

"Care to explain what that was all about?" Jaden asked, and Ron sighed as they got to the Raptor. "Zarek bombed a government building on Sagittarion." He said, "12 government officials were killed, but 50 of my people were murdered. I vowed that he would die by my hand the day he was put in prison." He then glanced at Jaden "I want you to promise me that you won't stop me next time."

Jaden glanced back "Why?" He asked, "No offense-"

"It's personal and religious." Ron explained "I thought of those people as family, so I believe that their souls haven't crossed the river into the afterlife. I am Tauron. And their blood calls out for the blood of the man who killed them."

Jaden sighed, but nodded "I promise, I won't." He said, "Believe me, I'd probably do the same... that guy reminds me too much of Gihren Zabi, I only stopped you to keep _you _out of trouble with the whole political system."

"I'm CCE." Ron said, "The only man who can touch me legally is Admiral Adama. And he hates Zarek as much, if not more, then I do." He chuckled. "Hell, he's probably promote me for getting rid of a royal pain in the ass." Jaden didn't want to ask. "Good news is, we're on the road again."

"So, how long til we get to Earth?" Jaden asked, and Ron sighed. "Gaeta and I have been pouring through both Baltar's work and your astronomical data." He said, "If anything, the bastard had one hell of a sense of self-preservation, so we're assuming his work is real. Best estimate? A year, maybe two." Jaden sighed. "And meanwhile, Earth's probably tearing itself apart with a civil war." He muttered, as Ron chuckled dryly "That's life for you."

* * *

**Cylon Baseship - 3 jumps from the Colonial Fleet**

* * *

Caprica Six walked into Baltar's room. Inside were Baltar himself and the Three that she killed on Caprica over a year ago. "So, what'd he say?" She asked, as the Three shrugged. "I haven't asked him yet."She said.

Baltar looked at them both. " Asked me about what?" He asked.

Caprica Six looked at him. "Earth." She said, and Baltar was caught gaping. "Uh… What, uh..." He said.

The Three (for ease of reading, we'll use her human alias, D'Anna) looked at him, smiling. "Earth." She said, "It's the 13th Colony." Caprica Six asked the trillion cubit question. "Do you know how to find it?"

Baltar shook his head. "Not really, no." he said, as D'Anna mock-sighed. "Well, that's unfortunate." "There was a hope - my hope - that if you knew the way to Earth, it would justify keeping you alive a little longer. Come on, Six."

And here, the aforementioned sense of self-preservation kicks in. "Wait. Wait, wait!" Baltar said quickly, "Now when I say that I do not know exactly where Earth is, that is not to say that I do not know a very great deal about its probable location. Honestly, I spent hours, days, weeks, months and months on a map that Adama and Roslin found on Kobol. And I correlated that with astrometric observations. I doubt anyone here can make the same claim."

Caprica Six looked at him for a moment before they left. "We'll get back to you." She said. But before they left, Baltar asked them the most important question yet. "What do you care about finding Earth?"

Caprica Six answered. "Because we're looking for it." She said, surprising Balter.

"You are?" He asked, as D'Anna smiled. "Yes, we've decided that Earth's going to be our new home."

* * *

**Battlestar Galactica - Baltar's former lab**

* * *

Gaeta stood in the lab Baltar once used with Vice-President/President Roslin, Admiral Adama, Jaden and Ron. "I've been trying to reassemble President Balt - Doctor Baltar's work on piecing together the 13th Tribe's path to Earth." Gaeta said.

Roslin asked the hard question. "I'm curious, Mr. Gaeta." She said, "What is it that you trust about Dr. Baltar's research?" She asked, "How do you know it's not another one of his lies?"

Ron answered the question for them. "If there was one thing I ever learned about Baltar, it was his extraordinary capacity for self-preservation." He said, "He wanted to find Earth because he wanted to get there."

Jaden looked at the haphazard pile of charts and religious material. "How far did he get with his research?" He asked, as Gaeta started moving the research material around. "Well, as you can see, I'm still hacking through his notes." He said.

"No shit."

"But it appears that he was trying to correlate our own astrometric readings with the map of constellations that we found back on Kobol, plus the astro-maps from Earth and apply his findings to certain select passages within the Scroll of Pythia."

Adama looked at Gaeta. "Why the Scroll of Pythia?" He asked.

Roslin answered for the younger man. "Pythia is supposed to have chronicled the original journey of the 13th Tribe on its way to Earth." She said, nodding.

Gaeta opened the Scroll. "If I can draw your attention to this passage: 'And the caravan of the heavens was watched over by a great lion with a mighty blinking eye…'" Adama and Gaeta read the last line as one. '…Red and blue.'"

"Exactly." Adama was confused. "Exactly what?" He asked "You're looking for a lion's head?" Jaden smirked. "With a mighty blinking eye." He added.

Adama was still confused. "Blinking?"

Ron shrugged. "Well, they're Scrolls." He said, "They speak in metaphors."

Gaeta chuckled. "Initially, I thought the doctor might be off his meds as well, sir." He said, "But then I found this note here, where he had written 'blinking equals pulsar.'"

Roslin asked the stupid question. "That means a star, right?"

Gaeta answered her question. "Uh, plural, actually." He said, "They're the rotating cores of dead stars? They emit a blast of radio waves. From a distance, they appear to-" Roslin got it. "Blink."

Gaeta nodded. "Right." He said, "The doctor found two in very close mutual orbit within this sector. Uh, the spectrographic readings that I found show one will appear to be red, and one will appear to be blue. Now... these pulsars appear to be in this nebula. We have never had a direct look at this area. But it is possible, with a couple of eyeballs out there, they might look at the nebula and see-"

Adama blinked. "A giant lion's head." He said, and Roslin smirked. "Well, it looks like this is the best thing we've got going, so …" She said, "Unless you object, Admiral, I suggest we go lion hunting."

Ron and Jaden chuckled as the cheerful tone Roslin was taking. "Is anyone else terrified of her at the moment?" Ron said, "And please, don't be shy." Gaeta and Adama rose their hands without hesitation.

* * *

**Cylon Baseship - 3 jumps from the Colonial Fleet**

* * *

Something had gone horribly wrong. A Baseship sent to the Lion's Head Nebula had become infected with some sort of disease. Now Baltar was going in to investigate using a stolen Colonial Raptor. The Raptor took off from the Baseship Baltar had made his home and headed for the infected Baseship on autopilot, as Baltar was no pilot, and entered its' landing bay, passing by dozens of dead Raiders.

It landed on the on the deck and Baltar, in full space suit, exits and explores the basestar. Inside, he saw a Three gasping for air. Sick and dying bodies everywhere. "There are bodies everywhere." He said, "Others dying." He dropped his flashlight and took pictures of the dying Cylons. Eventually, near the command room, he found a strange cylinder-shaped beacon the size of a coffee table. Baltar looked at it. "What the hell is that?" He said, "Definitely man-made."

He began to investigate it when a black-haired Six on the floor grabbed at his boot. Reacting, he grabbed a water pack. "You're severely dehydrated." He said, "You must drink some water."

The Six looked at him. "Kill me." She whispered. Baltar shook his head. "You don't understand." He said, "There is no Resurrection Ship nearby. You will not be downloaded into a new body. You will just be gone."

The Six, who was now weeping, looked at her dead and dying siblings. "I saw how they died." She said, "Please - please, I can't bear that."

Baltar was now openly panicking. "I'm here to bring help. All right?" He said, "I'm just gonna take some blood samples for analysis on the baseship. And then we will be able to make a treatment for the disease." She coughed up blood and phlegm, showing that she was REALLY close to dying. Baltar got nervous. "You must breathe." He pleaded "Please. Please take some water."

She looked closely at the flight suit. "You're - you're from _Galactica_."

Baltar shook his head. "No. I'm from a baseship." He said, pointing at the beacon. "Tell me... do you know what this is?"

The Six struggled to speak. "We found it floating at these coordinates." She said, "Must be some kind of...beacon... or marker."

"It looks too old." Balter said, "It looks very old."

"Must've been left by the 13th tribe." She said, "Infected, poisoned. Left by some humans like you to destroy us."

Cue the paranoia. Baltar blinked. "What?" He asked.

"A human device filled with a pestilence." The Six said, as she glared at him "You sent us to this place."

Baltar shook his head. "It wasn't me." He said, but the Six wasn't listening. "You know we'd bring it aboard."

"You don't know what you're saying." Baltar tried to reason, "This is the disease speaking through you. Calm down. I am going to bring help."

"You knew it was here." She said, as Baltar leaned over. "Now, shush." He said, "Shush. I would never do anything to hurt you."

"You and the other baseships knew it was here." She said, and now she was making no sense. "I am going to bring help." He said, "Be quiet. Be quiet. I'm going to bring help."

The Six started thrashing around. "You want to destroy us all. It's your fault!" She cried, "You lie to them."

Baltar got up. "Shut up!" He demanded, as she tried to attack him, but she was too weak to do anything. "You lie to them."

Baltar got angrier. "Shut up!"

The Six grabbed his leg. "You'll bring them here."

"Be quiet! Be quiet! Shut up!"

The Six tried pulling him down and trying to kill him. "You're gonna infect all of us!"

Her mistake, as Baltar... "Be quiet. Shut up! Aaaaaaah! Shut up!" ...Crushed her neck with his foot, killing her.

Suddenly a Doral's voice filtered through the wireless. "_Gaius, do you hear us?_" He said, "_Gaius, do you read? Is anyone alive? Speak to us. Do you read? What do you see? Are any of them alive?_"

Baltar tapped the wireless. "This is Gaius Baltar." He said, "I'm returning to the Baseship."

"_What do you see?_"

Baltar stared at the beacon. "I see nothing." He said, "Nothing of consequence. There's nothing left to do here."

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Sydney **_**- Work Shop**

* * *

Ron and Jaden were working on a new high performance MS. It was going to be Jaden's personal machine, but it wouldn't be finished for another few months.

"I always had the specs for this thing," Jaden said, as he worked on some of the M.S's frame "I just lacked the time to work on her, plus I had my Gouf AR Type and it was still working fine. But now I've got more time on my hands, and Amuro allowed us to use data from the Nu Gundam, so that will make it even better than _I _thought it could be."

"Well, I hope you're happy with this thing." Ron said, who was working under one of the legs "You've been bitching about the lack of a personal machine since you blew up Scar. And I'm kind of jealous."

Jaden grinned a bit "Actually... I've been working on something else," He said, as he stopped working and headed for a computer. "Check this out." Ron walked over to the computer. "I've been looking around some databases from the One year War, and I discovered this." Jaden turned on the Computer, and on the screen appeared a strange looking fighter. "Its a schematic of a Prototype Earth Forces Air and Space superiority Starfighter, it was meant to be the greatest thing in air combat. But when Mobile Suits started being rolled out, it was pretty much shelved in favor of developing Mobile Suits and the V Project."

"That's good and all, but from what I'm seeing, it's too big." Ron said, "Raiders would just use the fraking thing as target practice."

Jaden smirked "Don't judge a book by its cover, Ron." he said, "From the reports I've found on this thing, its faster than any Mobile Suit we have, can make sharper-turns, and has killer Beam Armament. Plus... I made a few additions to the schematics." He then showed the CGI schematics of the Fighter, but then to Ron's surprise, he watched as it transformed in a Mobile Suit! One which looked similar to the Delta Gundam, but very, very different. "Holy frak."

Jaden grinned "I thought you'd say that," he said, "This baby can out-perform any M.S I know of, and with Nu Gundam's data, it'll be even better. This machine, could be one of the best Gundam-types I've ever conceived... I call it, the ADF-X01 Morgan."

"Morgan?" Ron asked curiously.

Jaden shrugged "Its what the Earth Forces named the original prototype fighter," he said, "I don't know, it just sorta stuck with me. "

"And the model number?" Ron asked, "What's it stand for? The X means experimental, I know that."

"Advance Defensive Fighter Experimental One," Jaden said, "ADF-X01." Ron pulled out a large book he'd been reading: Mythology of Europe 600 BC to the Modern Era. "I'm asking about the name because it sounds familiar." He said as he flipped through the book. "Ah, here it is: Morgan le Faye, half-sister of King Arthur Pendragon." He glanced at the Specs again "So the fighter's named after a witch. I hope it turns Raiders into toads."

Jaden smirked "Ron, if we finish this thing, and my machine," he said. "The Raiders and Cylon M.S will be running for the hills, crying for their momma's." "Well, they're pretty beam-oriented. That means we'll need a lot of helium-3, especially since I'm perfecting the Minovsky Drive. Think about it: Mobile Suits that don't need fuel."

"I'd solve a lot of problems," Jaden said nodding "Propellant has been an issue, especially for Land-base M.S. If they no longer needed it, it'd make things a _lot _easier for them, and us."

"The only problem: the drive system needs a VERY powerful reactor, at least 4000 kilowatts." Ron said, "The Beta Dart I was testing it with barely cut it. But we can easily solve that problem by mining more H3."

"Next time we stop by a gas giant we'll get mining then," Jaden said, standing back up. "We're gonna need all the H3 we can when we start building these things."

"Well, according to your admittedly limited astrological data, there are at least five gas giants on our route." Ron said, "We should run into them in a few-" Ron suddenly clutched his head. "You alright?" Jaden asked, worried.

"Stabbing pains: I've had them throughout my life. More of a pain in the ass nowadays, but I can-" Ron suddenly fell on the deck. "Ron?" Jaden asked, as he helped Ron back to his feet "Ow." He muttered. Jaden was about to ask him something, before he clutched his head. "Son of a bitch!" He hissed out.

Ron groaned. "GREAT." He shouted, "I've been bitching about Newtypes for the past year and a half and now I turn out to be one? How the frak does it happen?"

Jaden looked at Ron shocked for a moment, "Well... have you spent most of your life in space?" Jaden asked, "That's usually how Newtypes come about - long-term life in space and space colonies."

"I'm 70, Jaden." Ron said, "I've been on ships and orbital stations practically since I was born. If that's the case, why the frak is it happening NOW?!"

Jaden narrowed his eyes "It felt... kinda like what I felt with Gina..." he said, "Only not the same...it feels like... suffering, and pain... only its not just one person... its a _lot _of people, dying." The phone rang and Ron picked it up. "This is the Commander: Sitrep."

"_Commander, Athena just got back._" The _Sydney's _Commander said, "_She found a Cylon Baseship at the Lion's Head Nebula. But there was something wrong with it._" Both men looked at one another. "There's no such thing as coincidence." Jaden said, "I think that Baseship's the cause of our Newtype troubles." Suddenly the CCE head's head collided with the floor and he blacked out. Jaden got over to Ron and checked his pulse. "Shit." He muttered, "He's alright, but he's not gonna be awake for a while." He took the phone into his hands. "This is Commander Takeo. I need a medical team in the Workshop, right fucking now!"

"_Got it, Commander. What's wrong?_"

"A complicated story."

* * *

_**Atlantis II **_**- 1 hour later**

* * *

To say Aren was surprised was an understatement. "Of all the men in the Colonies, Ronald Pinkerton turns out to be a Newtype?" He asked, and Jaden shrugged. "Dad, he's been in space for almost his entire life." He said, "He's 70 years old. I'm surprised his powers didn't wake up earlier."

Sutura sighed. "It took 70 years for Commander Pinkerton." She said, "That's not exactly comforting. I mean, Newtypes appear at younger ages: 15, 16, its more rare but still possible in their early and mid 20's like you and Char. But one as old as him...He's never going to get used to his powers. If anything, he's better off comatose."

"He said he's felt these Stabbing Pains his entire life," Jaden said, "He may of become a New Type a lot earlier, but no one ever thought anything of it."

Sutura sighed, as she looked at the results of Ron's brainscan. "Well, from what we can see... he's not necessarily a strong Newtype," she said. "I'd have to put him within around D-Rank, maybe C Rank."

"Ranks?" Jaden asked curiously.

"Its how we determine a person's Newtype potential," Aren answered, "The lowest Ranking is E-Rank, which would be an Old Type. D-Ranks had mild Newtype Awareness, C-Ranks are more commonly found NewTypes, B-Ranks are stronger Newtypes, A-Ranks are among the strongest, as it appears Amuro and Char are both A-Ranks, while S-Rank is the highest one can be, there have been very few records of someone ascending into S-Rank."

"From our scans of Ron's brain, we believe he is about high D-Rank in Newtype Potential, maybe low C-Rank. Strong enough to have basic Newtype awareness, but can't use any of these Newtype weapons like Funnels." Sutura said, "I myself am a B-Rank, so is Aren. You Jaden are a High B-Rank, with potential to become an A-Rank. Its why you have a much higher sensitivity to what is around you than even us."

"Well, either way, he's going to be bitching about it when he wakes up." Jaden muttered, "Talking about Newtypes, even thinking about them, gives him a headache. Now he's going to have headaches thinking about HIMSELF."

A phone started ringing, and Sutura picked it up. "Yes?" She answered, a few moments later Sutura looked at her son. "It's for you."

"Who is it?"

"I think it's Admiral Adama." She said, as Jaden walked over and his mother handed him the phone. "Yes?"

"_Commander, we're going to need your help._" Jaden chuckled. Once more, Jaden was being asked to perform miracles. "Let me guess: the Baseship Athena found." He said.

"_How-Never mind._" Adama muttered, "_Bloody Newtype. I'm sending a Marine boarding party to find out what the hell happened to it. I'd ask Commander Pinkerton, but he seems to be AWOL._"

"Not AWOL." Jaden said, "It seems Ron is a Newtype. Not a strong one, but it's going to be giving him trouble for a LONG time."

"_...That may explain why he's insane._" Adama said, "_And why the CCE's annual budget included 4 and a half tons of painkillers for one man only. Three guesses as to which one._"

Jaden snickered, then started laughing his ass off. "So he's been delaying the awakening of his powers for most of his life by taking headache meds?" He said, "That's good to know."

"_Commander-_"

"Yes, Admiral, I'll command the team you're sending to the Baseship." Jaden said, "When do we go?"

"_Get a Raptor to _Galactica." Adama said, "_Then we'll jump to the Baseship's location._"

"Understood, Admiral." He hung up the phone.

* * *

**20 minutes later - en route to Infected Baseship**

* * *

Jaden, surrounded by Marines in a Raptor, looked at the Baseship. It looked, for lack of a better term, sick, as if it were dying. "This is combat." Jaden said, "Prepped and ready, Plan A. We're approaching the Baseship."

Athena shook her head. "This is just so wrong." She said. Jaden looked at all the Raiders that were dead, literally, in space. "What the hell happened here?" He asked. Athena shrugged. "Whatever this is, it's something new." She said.

"_Commander Takeo_, Galactica: _you are cleared hot._"

"Roger that, _Galactica_." Jaden said, "We're in pretty close now, and by the look of it, that ship's in no condition to put up a fight. "I've never seen anything like this. Shall we proceed?"

"_Use extreme caution, Commander:_" Adama said, "_I don't think Commander Pinkerton will be happy if you get killed._"

"Amen to that, Galactica."

"Hang on, guys." Athena said as she pushed through the mass of Raiders that were blocking their way in. Artificial gravity was still online, as they entered the Baseship and landed without any trouble. "_Galactica_, we're in._"_

The Marines debussed, exiting the Raptors and following Jaden's lead. "No sign of life." He said, "Ship appears to be abandoned and powering down."

They left the hangar, and eventually reached the command center of the ship. And how the Baseship seemed to be dying, there were also Humanoid models, or at least their bodies, were everywhere.

"What the hell?" Jaden muttered, as Racetrack shook her head. "Gods, what happened here?"

Mathias looked at the bodies, keeping an eye on them. "I don't know, but their frakking resurrection ship is gonna overheat."

"_Galactica_, we've reached the control center." Jaden said, "Thirty, maybe forty dead humanoids. Mathias, set a perimeter!"

Athena was in a daze, looking at her dead and dying siblings. Jaden looked at her. "Athena!" He said, "See what you can pick up with the computers."

Mathias pointed at the entrances, "Three fireteams, each doorway. Go!" She ordered, as the Marines split up, while Athena put her hands in the Baseship's data port gel. "Okay, I'm gonna try to call up the database." She said, "If I get a connection, put the SSR leads in the water over there. Reduce the error correction level for higher throughput."

Racetrack looked at her fellow pilot as if she was crazy. "You sure you want to do that?" She asked, but Athena shrugged as she accessed the database. "It's how it works." She said, as the monitors in the command center started going crazy the second she put her hand into the gel. "Oh!"

Hotdog looked at her. "You okay?" He asked, and Athena nodded but no one really believed her. "Uh, yeah, the datapoints are almost completely corroded." She said. "I don't know if I'm gonna get much out of here, but let's try."

"Just try to pull out what you can," Jaden said before he sighed and shook his head "What the hell is going on here"

Suddenly, he then he saw a Six moving her arm. "Shit! This one's alive!" Jaden shouted, "We've got a live one over there!" Suddenly, a handful of other Humanoid Cylons began showing signs of life, but not much. Mathias looked at two of her Marines. "Danelli, Peters, cover the Commander!" He warned, as they raised their weapons.

"Wait! Calm down!" Jaden ordered, as he crouched down to the Six that moved, "There in no condition to fight! They're all sick... just like the ship..." He then keyed the Comm "Galactica, Takeo here. We've got about five Humanoid Cylons - still alive, but in bad shape. Their dying from some kind of disease it looks."

Athena walked toward another Eight. "Traitor." She whispered, "Save yourself." Athena blinked. "From what?"

A Six looked at her. "Get away from us."

Jaden walked toward the Six. "What happened here?" He asked.

"A beacon." She whispered, "We brought it aboard. Carried disease. We're infected."

Athena gaped. "Infected?" She asked, as Mathias nearly dropped her rifle. "Oh, son of a bitch!"

Jaden looked around. "Okay, okay, okay! Settle down!" He said, "Keep back! Watch the doorways. Get the doorways!" He then turned back the Comm "_Galactica_, we have a situation down here. The Cylons have been infected with a disease. We have all been exposed. We've all been exposed."

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Sydney **_**- Sickbay**

* * *

Ron woke up with a MASSIVE headache. "FRAK." He shouted.

"You sound like you need aspirin." A voice said, as Ron looked at the doctor. "A ton and a half." He muttered.

"Sorry, sir, but you're going cold turkey." The Doctor said, "Commander Takeo and Admiral Adama's orders."

Stabbing pain inside his head made Ron collapse back onto the bed. "I NEED painkillers for my headaches, doc." He growled, "You know that."

"Regardless, I've got orders:" THe Doctor said, "No headache meds for you." He walked away, leaving Ron to his growing headache. "Could someone tell me what the hell is going on, at least?" He demanded, just as another patient handed him his cellphone. "Thank you." He said, and Ron phoned _Galactica_, intending to find out why he was being denied his headache pills.

"Galactica _CIC._"

"This is Commander Pinkerton." Ron said, "Patch me in to Admiral Adama before-" He clutched his head, groaning.

"_Sir?_"

"Do it, godsdamn it!" He shouted, and a few moments later... "_Adama._"

"Sir, I was just told that the headache meds that we BOTH know I need are being denied by you and Jaden!" Ron shouted, "I'd like an explanation as to WHY!"

Adama sighed, "_You'll have to ask Jaden, Commander._"

"I intend to!"

* * *

**Raptor en route to **_**Galactica **_**from Infected Baseship**

* * *

Nearly a half an hour has passed since the first Raptor arrived on the infected Baseship. While they waited for _Galactica _too send help, Jaden had the Marines search for more survivors and gather them to the Baseship's Command Center. In addition to the five survivors they first found, they had managed to find 32 more. All of them either Model Eights, Sixes, Fives, Fours, Threes and Twos. Thankfully, in Jaden's opinion anyways, there were no Ones still alive.

They had also discovered a strange object inside the Baseship, a type or Probe. It too was brought to the Command Center, and Jaden quickly deduced it was not of Cylon Design, and it may of been from Earth. After some arguing with Adama and Cottle, he convinced them to take it, and the survivors off the Baseships, and onto a quarantined ship. Which was currently why six Raptors escorted by four Viper Mark VII's were finally leaving the Baseship.

"_Galactica, _this is Takeo, we are leaving the Baseship now." Jaden said, sitting in the Co-pilot seat with Athena. "We have _Galactica _and the _Blue Harvest _in visual." The _Blue Harvest, _was a _Celestra-_class Scientific Research ship. It wasn't the best ship, but it had the facilities that would most likely be required until they could isolate the virus.

"_Takeo, _Galactica: _Roger that,_" Adama said, "_Medical Teams have already been sent to the _Blue Harvest-" However, whatever he was about to say was cut off, when suddenly there was an explosion behind them "Holy shit!" Jaden shouted as he looked back at the Baseship, as it exploded in a ball of fire. Racetrack looked back at the smoking remains. "Well... lucky we weren't still on there." Mathias said.

"No shit." Jaden said, "_Galactica_, the Baseship just exploded! We need to get these people onto the _Harvest_ ASAP!"

"_Copy that, Commander._" Adama said, "_Be advised: Commander Pinkerton's awake. And he's PISSED._"

Jaden sighed. "He knows." He said. The only way to Ron to get used to his Newtype powers was to remove the one thing that had been blocking them. In short, Ron wasn't going to be taking pills for his headaches anymore. And everyone knew that that wouldn't end well.

"I'll talk to him when we've got these people in quarantine." He said, "I'm not going to like that at all."

"Copy, Commander."

The Vipers broke off, and the Raptors landed on the Blue Harvest's hanger deck. Medical teams scrambled toward the Raptors in protective gear, and as the hatches opened, they got the infected Cylons off the Raptors. "Be careful with them!" Jaden said, "Those people need medical attention!" The medics got the Cylons out of the Raptors and into the quarantine area set up for them.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- Sickbay**

* * *

"Lymphocytic encephalitis." Cottle said with a chuckled. "I guess they didn't upgrade the immune system. Humans are immune to the disease."

"Doc." A voice said, as Cottle turned to face Rhea, who was visiting _Galactica_. Cottle was more of a 'I don't give a shit who you are as long as I can heal you' guy. With her were Jaden's parents, Sutura seemed to have a slightly more disturbed look on her face.

"Doctor Cottle," Sutura said. "This... is not LCMV... I know it seems very similar, but believe me, this is not that."

Cottle raised an eyebrow "And what would you know about it?" He asked.

Sutura sighed as she turned to Aren, who nodded as he approached one of the Computers on Galactica, putting in a disc. On the screen, appeared two images, both of what seemed to be LCMV specimens. "The specimen on the left is a standard LCMV." She said, "And, to the plane eye, the second specimen looks just like an LCMV specimen, in fact it is incredibly easy to mistake what it really is."

The images zoomed in even more, while the left specimen looked no different, however Cottle's eyes widened a bit as in the second specimen there were small... worm-like things swimming about "What the..."

"The Second Specimen, is was we called the Cole Virus," Sutura said. "Its the same Virus that infected the Cylons on Atlantis over 2,000 years ago, and the same Virus which caused the war between Humans and Rebel Cylons to begin with." She then glanced at Cottle "The Probe that was recovered from the Basestar was of Earth origin, back when we still lived there on Atlantis. When the virus hit the Cylons back then, we were confused as to how an LCMV could kill Cylons when they, like us, had become naturally immune to it, _and _follow them back to wherever they are resurrected. It wasn't until after the war and the capture of the Rebel Cylon Leader that we discovered the truth, and created a cure." She then gained a thoughtful expression "What confuses me though, is _how _and _why _the strands were out here on that probe of all places?"

"Don't know." Cottle said as he lit up a smoke. "Haven't had a chance to interrogate the Cylons from that Baseship."

Sutura blinked "What Cylons?" She asked.

"They brought back a number of infected Cylons from the Baseship before it blew up." He said as he took in a long drag from his cancer stick. "Besides, that's not what matters. What matters is can I cure it? The answer? Humans are immune. And so are any Cylon that's gotten a blood transfusion from a human." He pulled out a pole and gently poked Rhea's plump belly. "That baby killed any chance for this thing to kill you."

"We still have most of the notes that we created when we created the cure back then," Sutura said, "It will take some time to both synthesize and produce the cures, but thankfully there are only a few infected from what I've heard. And the Cylons among _Atlantis II _are already immune."

"Well, you'd better get started." Cottle warned, "Roslin's got a plan for those Cylons, and it ain't pretty."

"Define 'pretty'." Rhea said, with narrowed eyes.

"I think you know:" Cottle said with a sigh "kill them, while infected, near a Resurrection Ship."

Aren had only seen Sutura angry only a handful of times, and Rhea had never seen her as such. But when Cottle told them that, if looks could kill, Sutura would have killed everyone in the Sick Bay at the moment. "...What?" Sutura growled out, as both Aren and Rhea took a step back in fear.

"Look, it ain't my idea." Cottle said, "If you want someone to blame, blame your son. He told Admiral Adama, who told the President. She came up with the idea." Cottle put out his smoke, then pulled out another one.

"Well, my son didn't think the President would make a decision which would endanger the relations with the Cylons in the fleet!" Sutura demanded, "It took the 13th Tribe centuries to repair the trust and friendship between humans and the Cylons that remained loyal with us by curing them, plus the other Cylons in the fleet. If they weaponize this, we will be making ourselves just as bad as the Cylons who rebelled against humanity!" She then stormed off.

"Where are you going?" Rhea asked.

"To give the President a piece of my mind!" Sutura shouted back, as she left the Sick Bay.

Cottle shook his head. "I don't think Madam President will give a shit." He said, "All she sees are machines that need to be unplugged."

"And you, Doctor?" Aren asked, as Cottle scoffed. "I helped deliver Athena's child." He said, "When I look at a humanoid Cylon, I see a future patient, not a machine. Commander Pinkerton thinks in similar ways, and he's got more right to hate the Cylons then anyone else. His father was killed by the 0005s on the first day of the War."

Aren smiled a bit "Glad there are people like you and Pinkerton among the Colonials who don't blindly hate Cylons, Doc." He said.

"I better get in contact with Jaden," Rhea said as she moved to where the closest phone was, "He needs to know about this, along with Ron."

* * *

**Science vessel Blue **_**Harvest**_

* * *

Jaden walked toward the Raptor and picked up the wireless headset. "Takeo." He said.

"_Commander, there's a call from _Galactica _waiting for you. It's your wife. Commander Pinkerton is also on the line. Should I patch them in?_"

Jaden nodded "Sure, put em both on." He said, as he waited for the connection to be patched in.

"_Jaden, I've got bad news._" Rhea's voice came in first, "_The President is going to try to use the Cylons on the _Harvest_ as biological weapons._"

Jaden's eyes widened "What?" He shouted, before his eyes narrowed "Are you sure?"

"_Positive, Cottle just told us._" Rhea said, "_The Virus has the ability to carry on a Cylon even if they resurrect on a Resurrection Ship. If a Cylon dies in proximity of a ship, they could infect even _more _Cylons! It will be a biological genocide!_"

"So what the frak do you want us to do about it, Rhea?" Jaden asked, "I've got no say in this. While I know it's wrong-"

Ron groaned on the other end. "_The military man in me is saying to follow my orders and let it be done._" He said, as Jaden's eyes narrowed.

"Ron, we _can't _let this happen!" He said, "I'm not stooping down to Cavil's way of thinking and allow the genocide of an entire race! Think about the Cylons on _Atlantis II, _and the other friendly Cylons in the fleets!"

"_I am, you idiot!_" Ron shouted, "_But there's nothing we can do. I'm bedridden thanks to you, you've got no say in Colonial military matters, and we ALL know what Roslin thinks of Rhea: as a machine!_"

"There has to be something we can do!" Jaden said, "Cure the Cylons of the infection? There has to be a way!"

"_Actually, your mother told me that the Virus infecting the Cylons is the same Virus that caused their Cylons to rebel 2,000 years ago,_" Rhea said, "_She says they still have the notes, and they can get working on synthesizing and producing the cure. It will take time though._"

"Then we need to find a way to stall Roslin's plan," Jaden said, "Anything we can think of until we can cure them all. Ron, you got any ideas?"

"_If my brain wasn't trying to self-destruct, maybe I'd have a few ideas!_" Ron shouted, "_By the way, care to explain WHY I'm being denied my headache pills?! There's a REASON I take them!_"

Jaden groaned "Ron, you're a _NewType!_" Jaden said, "You have been for however long you've been taking the pills. Those pills are suppressing your NewType awareness, the more you take them, the worse those headaches will be and they will happen more frequently. But without them, your body and mind will adapt with the Newtype abilities, and you won't feel the pain anymore, instead you'll just feel a jolt at most when your awareness is set off."

"Well, until I get used to this, which won't be for a while, I'm mostly limited to bitching and moaning." Ron said, "At any rate, the only idea that's coming to mind is the simplest: kill the infected Cylons before Roslin and Adama kill them in range of an enemy Resurrection Ship!"

Jaden groaned "Alright, fine! I'll send word to the Doc to give you _one _supply of Pills, but once those run out, you gotta ride the rest of your headaches out until their a thing in the past. And there are two problems to your plan: One, if we kill them now, they'd just resurrect on _our _Resurrection Ship, and two: If we kill them outside range of our ship - which I prefer to _not _do - we'd either move them off _Blue Harvest _or move _Blue Harvest _out of range. And, like I said, I would like to avoid murder here."

"_Use that as an absolute last resort, then._" Ron said, "_And have you even had the time to check the Resurrection Ship? For that matter, have you considered WHY the Cylons jumped into New Caprica orbit last week?_"

Jaden was about to retort to that, before he stopped himself and thought about it. He never really thought about _why _the Cylons attacked them - of course, sure they were enemies -, but they knew they had captured their Resurrection Ship. If they died there, they'd just revive on their ship, not theirs. "I... guess I just thought they were taking a risk in the attack to take us all out." Jaden said.

"_The answer's simple, kid: our ship's not connected to their network anymore!_" Ron said, "_It's dead weight! Roslin knows this! Hell, I figured it out the second they jumped in!_"

Jaden cursed a bit "Shit... well, there goes our advantage..." he said, before he blinked "Wait... " He said suddenly "I think... I have an idea..."

"_If you two would care to tell a girl what the frak is going on?_" Rhea asked, confused.

"Our ship is no longer connected to their Resurrection Network, right?" Jaden asked for confirmation.

"_Yes. Probably hasn't been connected for a while, now._" Ron said, "_What's your point?_"

"Hear me out," Jaden said, "Would it be possible to connect the Resurrection Ship to the _Atlantis II's _Resurrection Network? If we did and they died and resurrected, they would end up on _our _ship. And the Resurrection Ship is currently..."

"_Under CCE control._" Ron said as it dawned on him "_Frak, kid, you're going to end up replacing me as head of the CCE one day._"

Jaden chuckled "Yeah, just came to me." He said, "If they're on a CCE ship, Roslin can't touch em, which gives us time to wait for the cure to be made and distributed."

"_I think it can work,_" Rhea said, "_All Cylons are automatically keyed to resurrect in the closest Resurrection Ship, no matter what Network the ship itself is connected too._"

"_Still have a problem: killing the infected Cylons and curing the Resurrection Ship itself._" Ron said, "_Remember, it's made of organic material, and ALL Cylon technology is based out of the same gene pool._"

"If that's the case, then the cure we use for the Cylons should work for the ship as well," Jaden said. "And for killing the Cylons here... we'll cross that bridge once we retool the ship to the network. "

"_Tell me what I need to do._" Ron said, "_Roslin knows that you and Rhea will try to stop this. She'll assume that I'll follow orders like a good little boy. Too bad I am too angry right now to listen to orders._"

Jaden smirked a bit "Alright guys," he said, "Here is the plan..."

* * *

_**A few hours Later, NCD2539 - Cylon supply line**_

* * *

The two plans coincided with one another: while Ron hooked the Resurrection Ship into the Atlantis network, (and a headache would NOT stop him) the _Blue Harvest_ would be sent into Cylon space. _Galactica_ and _Pegasus_ would engage the Baseships and take out one or two of them while the Harvest was destroyed and the Cylons downloaded. Problem was, they would be downloading into the CCE-controlled Resurrection Ship. And once the Cylons all downloaded into it, they were untouchable. Of course, the timing had to be exact: the _Harvest_ had to be destroyed before the Cylon Resurrection Ship jumped in and downloaded the infected Cylons. If that happened...well, that was self-explanatory.

"Blue Harvest, Psycho: the plan is a go. Repeat: plan is a go." The Delta Gundam flew past the _Harvest_, getting ready to engage the Cylon Mobile Suits.

"_You sure you want to be out there, Ron?_" Jaden asked on their Comm.

"Look, I need to get used to this!" Ron said, "Might as well have a massive amount of pain and death to make me get used to it faster. You just get the hell off that ship before it goes!" The sensors in the Delta beeped. "Contact! Two Baseships! Resurrection Ship should be jumping in any moment! Jaden, DO IT NOW!"

"_Copy that!_" Jaden said.

The Baseships launched out their Raiders, and several Mobile Suits: all of which were of a new design. "Oh, crap. Actual, the Cylons are fielding new Mobile Suits!" And there were a lot of them: at least 50. They had a superficial resemblance to Scar, but they only had one Gatling shield as oppose to two, and packed two 76mm machine guns, but had a much lighter frame.

"Oh, shit." Ron muttered, The Cylon MSs opened fire on the Delta, but some of them were soon cut down by Galactica's few A1 Darts. The rest retreated, not wanting to get slaughtered. "Jaden, we're running out of time!" Ron warned

"Wait one!" Jaden said, "We're just finishing getting our people off the ship!"

"WE DON'T HAVE ONE!" Ron shouted, as he sliced a Cylon M.S that got too close. Suddenly, the Harvest then exploded in a bright ball of fire and light, and seconds later, the Cylon's Resurrection Ship jumped in. "FRAK!" Ron shouted, "_Galactica_, Psycho: _Harvest_ has been destroyed. Mission complete."

"_Copy, Psycho._" Adama said, "_All Mobile Suits and fighters, RTB. We're done here._" Ron switched to a private channel. "Jaden, PLEASE tell me those Cylons died before that thing jumped into range!" Ron pleaded.

"_They did. At least, I hope they did._" Jaden said, "_I set the ship's reactor to explode, if they survived an explosion like that, the vacuum would of gotten them. Here's to hoping they didn't try holding their breath._"

"The only way we're finding out is if we get back to the Fleet." Ron said, with a sigh "_I_'ll jump back and head for the Resurrection ship. If we have Cylons moving around, then it worked. If not...then every Cylon in existence is going to die slow, lingering deaths."

"_Yeah, and they'll hate us about as much as the Colonials hate them._" Jaden said. "_Let's hope this worked... I don't want to find out we've become war criminals._"

"If we failed, shoot me." Ron said, "I refuse to be like Cain, even if I was trying to stop it." The Delta Gundam banked left and jumped back to the Fleet.

* * *

**CCE Resurrection Ship - 45 minutes later**

* * *

Jaden and Ron walked into one of the larger chambers on the Resurrection Ship. Inside were all 37 Cylons that had been infected and killed on the Harvest when she blew. Jaden let out a sigh of relief, the plan worked...barely. "Looks like we can avoid the bullet-eating today." He said, as Ron scoffed. "I'm a dirt-eater, not a bullet-eater." He said, "How long until your parents get that cure ready?"

"Soon." Jaden said, "We have a way to keep the Cylons here alive until they do as well. There should be enough of the cure to give to them within 48 hours, then we can get it to the Resurrection Ship itself." He then glanced at Ron "While we're here, you think we can get into the Final Five's chamber now?"

Ron shook his head. "No." He said, "Caprica Cavil could've done that a year ago. But he didn't. Because I didn't want him to."

Jaden looked at Ron. "WHAT?" He shouted.

"Jaden, I like puzzles." Ron said, "I like figuring them out, not having the answer dumped onto my lap. I want to get in there because WE got in there, not because we asked someone for help. Call it my pride, but-"

"I understand." Jaden said, catching Ron by surprise for a moment, "I don't like it, but I understand. I probably would feel the same way."

"Good." Ron said nodding as he smiled "By the way, have you thought of a godfather for your kid yet? We're on the line: someone's going to need to look after her if you catch a bullet."

"Remember, in two days I'm hooked in the Resurrection Network on _Atlantis II._" Jaden said, "But you have a point... I know Nasha and Zar would take care of him/her, or my brother and sister. But they also got duties and jobs that need to be done."

Ron sighed as he leaned to his left. "Hang on: call from _Galactica_." He said as he tapped the earpiece. "Pinkerton. What? We're on our way."

"What's up?" Jaden asked.

"There's a Cylon MS formation closing in on the fleet." Ron said, alarming Jaden "And there's something wrong with it." Ron walked off, heading for the hanger and the Delta Gundam. Jaden quickly followed "Ron, unless you rebuilt my Gouf-" He began.

"I had a GM III brought here." Ron said, "You can fly it."

Jaden blinked but nodded as he followed Ron into the hangar. Ron got into the cockpit of the Delta and Jaden got into the GM III. As soon as they got to their machines, they launched from the ship.

"What's wrong with the formation?" Jaden asked.

"_It's misshapen: it's like two of them are chasing a third._" Ron answered, as both machines headed for the Cylon formation, and Ron was right: they were chasing it. And shooting at it. "What the hell is this?" Jaden asked.

"Don't know, don't care." Ron said as they quickly gunned down the trailing Cylons, and got ready to fire at number three. "_Krypter krypter krypter!_" A voice suddenly shouted on the Comm, causing both of them to blink "_This is Bulldog. Get me the hell out of here. I'm wounded!_"

"_Commander, weapons hold._" Adama said on the Comm, causing both Ron and Jaden to blink again. "_Admiral?_" Ron asked.

"_You heard me._"

"Ron, where's that coming from?" Jaden asked.

"_Krypter krypter krypter, this is Bulldog-_"

"Holy shit." Ron muttered, "It's coming from the Cylon MS." The Delta transformed and entered escort formation with the Cylon MS. Jaden's GM III also moved alongside the Cylon M.S as well.

"Bulldog, this is Commander Takeo." Jaden said, as he waved his M.S's hand at the Cylon M.S "We'll guide you in, no funny business."Bulldog didn't answer, but was escorted back to _Galactica_.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- Starboard Hanger**

* * *

The Cylon MS was brought into the hanger, where everyone got a good look at the machine. (**RON AN: Picture the ZGMF-515 CGUE from **_**Gundam SEED**_) Jaden and Ron looked at the new machine. "Production model?" Ron asked, and Jaden nodded. "Looks like it." He said, "Doesn't have as much armor or armament as the one Scar used. Removed in favor of mobility, and speed most likely. But it still has the same general appearance."

Ron nodded "Yeah," he said. Jaden noted that Ron seemed to be dealing with his Newtype powers much better than before. And since Rachel had made sure that he wasn't taking his headache meds, that was a good sign.

The Cylon MS kneeled, and the cockpit hatch opened. And out came an African-American man with short dreadlocks. Ron gaped at the sight as Adama walked toward the mystery man. The pilot shakily saluted the Admiral. Adama returned the salute. "Is it really you, sir?" The man asked, as Adama approached him, nodding. "Yeah... it's me." Adama said, with a small smile "Welcome home, Bulldog."

"Ron, do you know this guy?" Jaden asked, and Ron nodded slowly. "Daniel Novacek, callsign Bulldog." He said, "I thought he was dead."

"Dead?" Jaden asked, and Ron sighed. "It's a long and complicated story." He said, "And you might not like it. I won't tell you: not here." Ron looked around. "Let's get the Cylon MS back to _Sydney_. THEN I'll tell you. Deal?" Jaden narrowed his eyes, but nodded. "Fine."

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Sydney **_**- 2 hours later**

* * *

The new Cylon MS, which was called the CMS-151B Hyperion, was now in the Workshop of the _Sydney, _right along with the still in-progress M.S for Jaden. Jaden was currently sitting down in a chair, looking at Ron "Alright, Ron." He said, "What the hell's with Bulldog?"

Ron sighed. "Three years ago, the CCE was asked to build a prototype stealth ship by the Admiralty." He said, "I built the machine myself, no questions asked. Then it was given to Adama on the _Valkyrie_."

"Not _Galactica_?" Jaden asked surprised.

"Don't interrupt: you'll understand." Ron said before continuing "The mission...was to go over the Armistice Line. Pure recon: nothing offensive. The pilot chosen for the mission was formally CCE: Lieutenant Daniel 'Bulldog' Novacek."

"What happened?" Jaden asked, and Ron closed his eyes, remembering that day all too well. He was in CIC when it happened. "Two unknowns, probably Raiders, jumped in and attacked the stealth ship." He said, "In order to protect the mission... Adama destroyed the fighter. Bulldog was assumed dead. It was quickly covered up and Bill was put to pasture on _Galactica_. And I was made to not tell anyone about it. But the Admiralty is dead. The only one left is Adama, and he won't care if I tell you."

Jaden's eyes widened "You don't think Bulldog knows this... do you?" he asked.

Ron's eyes widened. "He didn't escape." He muttered, "The Cylons LET HIM GO! And Bulldog's not stupid: he'll figure out the Bill left him to rot." He then turned to Jaden, "We need to get back to _Galactica_, NOW!" Both men rushed out of the Workshop, heading for the closest flight pod and a Raptor to _Galactica_.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica**_** - Guest Quarters**

* * *

"Hey, Dan." Adama said, as he looked around, trying to find Bulldog. His mistake, as Bulldog bashed him in the face with a steel pipe, then threw him across the room. He then tied Adama up with his belt. "It's funny how all the training comes back, huh?" Bulldog said as he got on top of Adama, holding the pipe across his throat, choking him. "Why did you lie to me, Bill?!" He demanded.

Adama was about to pass out, but Bulldog stood up. "All those years..." He said, "You know what I kept telling myself? What stupid, frakked-up dream I held onto?! I kept thinking,'just hang in there, Bulldog. Bill Adama's coming. He won't leave you to rot in here, not him. He won't leave a man behind. Just hold on!'"

Again Bulldog hit him in the face with the pipe. "But you weren't coming." He growled "You didn't think I was alive. You weren't even hoping I was alive! And if I hadn't figured a way to escape, if I didn't make my move when I saw they left that door wide open for me, I'd be as good as dead right now!"

Adama looked at him. "Is that what they did?" He asked, "Did they leave the door standing open? Did they let you escape?"

Bulldog snarled like his namesake. "That's not what I meant." He shouted "I know the truth.I beat them. Do you understand? I beat them at their own game. I frakkin' killed her, and I escaped. You trying to take that away from me?!"

"Bulldog!" A voice shouted, as he faced the door, where Ron and Jaden were pointing USP45's at him. "You don't wanna believe it, do you?" Ron asked, "I know. The truth hurts, Bulldog, but it's better to know the truth than to live a lie. We're all soldiers, Danny. We're all expendable. And we did what we had to do to protect the mission. It's ugly, but there it is."

"**The Cylons let you go**.The question is _why_? Ask yourself that, Danny. Because up until a minute ago, you were doing exactly what they wanted you to do: come here, learn the truth and seek revenge. And that's exactly what you did. You almost gave them what they wanted!"

Bulldog's eyes widened in horror as he dropped the pipe. "Oh, Gods." he muttered.

"That's right, Bulldog." Ron said, "They let you go. But now you've got a different choice. Don't do what they WANT you to do."

"Don't do what the Cylons want, Bulldog." Jaden said, "Adama made a choice that day three years ago, it may of been a bad one... but we're all human, and humans are prone to make mistakes every now and then. Adama had to choose between saving you, or potentially preventing another war with the Cylons. But at this point, none of that matters. What matters, is what we do _now._"

"So what are you going to do, Bulldog?" Ron asked, "Try to kill the Old Man and have us pour two rounds into your head? Or are you going to get up and forgive him for making a mistake?"

Bulldog sighed. "Frak." He muttered, "You always win these, Psycho."

"Then get your ass up, both of you." Ron said, "He's got a fleet to run. And you...have a choice to make." Ron turned to leave. "And if you try anything like this again, I'll have your ass on my office door." Both men left. Bulldog untied Adama, then broke down and started crying.

* * *

**Three weeks later - Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**port flight pod hanger deck**

* * *

"A dance?" Rhea asked, and Jaden nodded "That's what the card said." He said as both he and Rhea walked through the pod, confused as to what was going on. Then they heard cheering on the other side of a hatch. "Uh-oh." Rhea groaned "NOW I remember what the 'dance' is."

Jaden opened the hatch, and what they saw confused the human greatly. Enlisted and officers were cheering around what looked like a boxing ring. And almost flying out of the ring was Helo.

"What the-"

"Fleet tradition." Rhea said, as Jaden looked at his wife in confusion. "Tradition?"

"There's a lot of frustration aboard warships." Rhea said, "Arguments become grudges, then end up being feuds. This allows them to let off some steam out in the open so everybody can participate. Rank doesn't matter. As long as you throw your tags in the box, everyone's fair game."

Helo tried getting back up, but a gloved fist met his face, knocking him out. "That's enough! He's done!" And the guy who beat the crap out of Helo was Ron, sans uniform jacket and dog tags. "Next!"

"Come on, Commander, give it a rest!" One of the watchers shouted, "You've beaten the crap out of two guys already!" Ron sighed, as he reluctantly left the ring. He quickly spotted Rhea and Jaden and smiled "Jaden! I see you got my invite!"

"Ron, what the hell?" Jaden asked, and Ron scoffed as he looked at Jaden's horrified face. "What, you guys don't beat the crap outta each other back home?" He asked.

"Wha-No!" Jaden shouted.

"Too bad: hell of a stress reliever." Ron said, "Get the shit beaten out of you and beat the shit out of someone who pisses you off."

"What the hell did Karl do to earn YOUR ire?" Jaden asked.

"He's an idiot and an idealist." Ron said with a shrug "I hate idealistic idiots." Helo was carried out, and Jaden saw Ron's handiwork: broken nose and what looked like three fractured ribs. "You don't hold back, do you?" He asked.

"Well, he shouldn't've punched me in the balls." Ron said, "I don't feel pain when someone hits me there: I just get angry."

"...Good to know." Jaden said, with a sigh "I'd be in there too, but theirs no one in the fleet I hate so much that I'd want to beat them up... well aside from maybe Zarek, but I doubt I can fight him... and Uwe Boll."

"Who's Uwe Boll?"

"A Sour Crap," Jaden said, rolling his eyes "He's a movie director who keeps making bad movies that bust in the Box Office, but he still makes money for them. Mostly does video game movies like House of the Dead and Bloodrayne, he does it though German tax loopholes that rewards his investments into the film, even if they totally bomb. So if the movie loses money, the investor gets a tax right off. He's also well known for challenging his critics to a boxing match and beating the living Shit out of them." He growled "He ruined things like Far Cry, Alone in the Dark, and a bunch of other movies that I just wanna _STRANGLE _him for it!"

"Well, when we get back, then you can beat the living shit out of him." Ron said, "Until then, place your bets."

"Chief. Get your fat, lazy ass up here!" A voice said, and both Jaden and Ron looked at the ring, as Admiral ADAMA was now in the Ring, sans jacket and tags, getting his hands wrapped.

Ron grinned "Starbuck!" He shouted as She looked at Ron. "2000 on Adama! He's gonna beat the shit out of the Chief!" Everyone started cheering, either for Adama or for Tyrol, who got into the ring, shaking his head.

"He's an old man, it's fine. He's not serious, anyways." Famous last words. Tyrol faced Adama, who emulated Chris Redfield a'la Resident Evil 5, delivering a nasty punch to his face. Jaden winced as he watched Tyrol go down. "Holy-"

"KICK HIS ASS, BILL!" Ron shouted. "ADAMA! ADAMA! ADAMA! ADAMA!" Adama stood over Tyrol. "Get up, Chief." He said, "We're just getting started."

Tyrol got up, and subsequently went back down. Again. And again. repeat this three more times before Tyrol actually takes the Old Man seriously. "This how you fight your enemies, Chief?" Adama asked, "This how you fight for your life? No excuses. Show me you're a soldier. Get up!"

And up he got, bull rushing the Admiral. "What the hell did the Chief do to piss HIM off?" Jaden asked.

"A lot of things." Ron said, "He couldn't keep his fly zipped two years ago during his affair with Boomer-"

"That's not something I wanted to know."

"Then there was New Caprica: he settled with Cally instead of staying on _Galactica_." Ron said, "If Bill hadn't've challenged him, I'd be fighting Tyrol right now. He's formally CCE: the only way we leave the service is if someone kills us." The fight broke off briefly, and both men sought medical attention to stop their bleeding. It was clear, though: Adama was kicking the Chief's ass. "So, you gonna fight?" Ron asked "I didn't just invite you to watch, you know."

Jaden thought about it for a moment "Give me a minute to see who my options of fighting are," he said, as he went to a board which currently had listed all of the names that were available for fighting.

Meanwhile, Adama and Tyrol were now beating the shit out of one another. Finally, Adama hit Tyrol in the face and knocked him flat on the ground. "Frakin A!" Ron shouted, "Good work, Bill!" Tigh, who was acting as the ref, pulled out two sets of tags. "Psycho and Racetrack!" He announced, and Ron cackled as he got into the ring. Racetrack followed suit, only she was terrified of what he would do. "Fight!" Racetrack punched him in the face. Second worst mistake she would make in the fight. Ron, even though his hands were gloved, backhanded the Raptor pilot/ECO, sending her flying.

"Come on, Racetrack!" Ron said, grinning "I thought you didn't get your billet thanks to your daddy!" She then kicked him in the balls. WORST mistake of the match. Now he was out for blood. Ron roared and began his assault, focusing on her head. To say she would be needing jaw surgery was a MASSIVE understatement. It took three Marines to keep him from killing her.

"Frak! Medic! Get her to sickbay!" Two of Cottle's medics got Racetrack out of there just as Sasha and Zar came in. The latter was horrified. "What, you guys don't have a fight night back on Earth?"

"No!" Zar shouted, "And who the hell did that?!"

"That'd be Ron." Jaden said, pointing at him "He's got a nasty right hook." Zar looked at Ron, who was kicked out of the ring once more. "What the hell is WRONG with you people?" He asked.

"You guys have too much angst." Ron said, "THAT is going to get you all killed. At least we try to vent it!"

"Well, it would be kinda hard to fight in Zero Gravity," Jaden said, as he walked back from the board, "Only a few ships have artificial gravity like the _Argama._"

"Poor bastards." Ron said, shaking his head "It'd help with morale."

"Pinkerton!" Tigh shouted, "You're up again!"

"Who's the guy I'm fighting, Tigh?" Ron asked, cracking his neck.

"Me," Jaden said, and Ron blinked as he looked at him. Jaden was grinning a bit "What? You think all I do is pilot mobile suits? I learned a few martial arts and other hand-to-hand moves back on Earth."

"That's not why I'm gawking." Ron said, "I'm wondering whether or not you're suicidal. I weigh 260 pounds. You're what, again?"

"256," Jaden said, grinning.

"Ok, we're almost even." Ron said nodding "But if you aim anywhere near my groin, even by accident, I will not see you as my friend that's I'm having a friendly fist-fight with. I WILL be trying to kill you. For your own safety, don't do this. But if you're serious-"

"I'm serious, Ron." Jaden said, "Don't worry, and I won't aim below the belt unless _you _do."

"If either of us hits down there, don't limit yourself to hands-only." Ron warned, "Use EVERYTHING to take me down. Doc! Wrap me and make em tight!"

Jaden nodded as he got into the right gear for the fight "You sure about this Jaden?" Zar asked, a bit worried.

"I'll be fine, don't worry." Jaden said smirking, "Remember, I'm in the Resurrection Network of _Atlantis II,_ so I'm good. Plus, I've got a few tricks up my sleeves."

In the other corner, Ron was getting his hands wrapped. "Ron, protect your balls." Cottle warned, "Don't let him hit there."

"Sherman, I am going to be focusing on Jaden's upper body and so will he."

"You've got titanium-cored bones!" Cottle exclaimed, "You could easily kill him!"

"He's hooked into the _Atlantis II_ RN." Ron said, "He'll live. After he dies. IF he dies." He slipped the gloves on and tightened them. "Ref? Let's get this fight started!" Both men took up their positions. "No hard feelings, kid."

"I was about to say the same thing," Jaden said, as he raised his arms. The moment the bell rang, the crowds began shouting bets as the two began punching. Ron was first, as he delivered several blots to Jaden's chest, but Jaden managed to block a few with his arms. To Ron's credit, Jaden didn't seem too affected by the punches. Then Jaden was about to deliver a lower hook, but faked it as he then delivered an upper hook into Ron's face. The strike alone caused Ron to go back a few feet, and the others look in surprise as Ron actually took a decent hit for once.

Jaden smirked "Oh, I forgot to tell you." He said, "My current RN body is testing out something for you when you get yours. Instead of being cored with Titanium like your bones are, my body is cored with Gundarium γ."

Ron smirked. "Finally. Someone who can give me a run for my money!" He started jabbing at Jaden's sides, then, as Jaden tried defending against the side attacks, Ron delivered a surprise Haymaker to his face. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" Jaden punched back, knocking him on the ground. The elder man spat up blood and got back on his feet. "Oh, yeah. This will be fun!"

Ron stood back up, as they began to fight again, delivering punch after punch on one another as the crowds cheered on and the bets flew as to who would win. It seemed evenly matched so far, for each blow Ron would deliver, Jaden would counter with his own. It was possibly the match of the night.

"Who do you think's gonna win?" Starbuck asked.

"I'm not sure." Zar said, "I think they're just going to-" Both punched one another right in the head, knocking them to the ground. "Knock themselves out." If they could see it, everyone would be seeing tiny birds flying over the fighters' heads.

Tigh shook his head. "All right, this dance is over." He said, "Get your booze and your dog tags and let's get out of here." The medics carried Ron and Jaden out of the ring as everyone started to leave. "So what, you're just gonna call it?" Starbuck asked, as Tigh shook his head. "Not enough excitement for o ne night for you, Captain?" He asked.

Starbuck looked at Apollo as he was leaving. "Hey. Hey!" She said, grabbing his attention "Where the frak do you think you're going?" Apollo shrugged. "It's over, Kara." He said.

"So what?" Starbuck demanded, "You have the guts to try and frak another man's woman but not to fight o ne?" She then got up in his face. "I wonder if Dee knew what she was getting. Think she would have settled for sloppy seconds?"

Suddenly, Apollo punched her in the face, knocking her onto the deck. "Truth stings, don't it?" Starbuck said with a smirk.

"You want a fight, Captain?" Apollo asked, "You got it."

* * *

_**Meanwhile, **_**Galactica **_**Sick Bay**_

* * *

Jaden groaned a bit, as consciousness came back to him "Son of a..." he muttered, as he felt a piercing pain in his head "What the hell hit me...?"

"I did." Jaden looked over to the next bed over and saw Ron, who was reading a book. "You hit like a Centurion."

Jaden chuckled/groaned a bit "And you punch like a Mobile Suit," he said, "Geez... thank god I got those Gundanium Core bones put in..."

"Well, we beat the living shit out of one another." Ron said with a smirk "THAT'S something I'm happy about. I was getting tired of beating the shit out of everybody and not taking that much damage."

"Happy to help," Jaden said, sat up a bit "It's nice to fight in a battle that's _not _involving guns or mobile suits every now and then." He then chuckled a bit "Gonna see if I can convince the rest of the Terran Forces to have 'dances'."

"Well, you guys have been resisting AG installations in your hangers." Ron said, "It'd be easy to just, you know, SHUT IT OFF WHEN YOU DIDN'T NEED IT. You've seen the variable zones on the _Sydney_: work it like that."

"Maybe," Jaden said, "Its just a lot of people are just use to moving around in Zero Gravity... myself included, I was born in the space colonies of Side 3, and spent most of my life on Gravity-lacking Space ships. Its just something we grow use too I guess, not having it around feels... kinda weird to be honest."

"Then you know how I felt when I first came on board the _Albion_ two years ago." Ron said, "Besides, this little fistfight allowed my to clear my head. Came up with a new set of FTL coordinates while we were beating the shit out of each other."

Jaden rose an eyebrow "FTL Coordinates?" He asked, "To Where?"

"Another signpost to Earth." He said, "A band of star clusters about 20 lightyears away. I used the Lion's Head Nebula to guide my hand, as it were. Once we get there, we should have another link in the chain."

Jaden smiled and nodded "Sounds good," he said, "The Sooner we get there the better... hopefully the closer we get to earth, the sooner we can start seeing some familiar star formations we'd normally see from Earth. Once we do, it will become all that easier to find Earth."

Ron sighed. "What do you think's going on back there?" He asked, "Another war? Did the Neo-Zeon jackasses just finally give up and throw in the towel? Has the Federation fallen? I'd like those questions answered."

"Well, no answers today." Jaden said with a sigh "From what Char and Amuro told me of the state of the Earth Sphere when they left... it wasn't pretty. The Republic of Zeon is still being treated pretty unfairly, and the Federation still stands against Spacenoid Movements, crushing them in fear of a repeat of the Principality. And there are still loads of Zeon Remnants, only now its not just from the Principality, but now there's remnants of Neo Zeon everywhere, and they've got much more advanced weaponry than their one year war Zeon Remnant counterparts do."

He then sighed a bit "In my opinion... we should be prepared for anything." he said, "I sorta have come to believe the Earth Sphere has a pattern... Zeon attacked earth, Earth attacked the colonies through the Titans, then Neo-Zeon struck, and after the first Neo Zeon War the Feddies tightened their grip on the colonies. Now that Char attacked the Earth Sphere with that Axis Drop stunt of his... I know there is a good chance the Feddies will tighten their hold on the colonies even more."

He then looked up at the ceiling "I may not be a fanatic about this... but I do believe the colonies should have the right to declare independence if they want too," he said. "And I want Zeon to also remain independent... not as the Principality, but as the Republic. I don't want to see the Spacenoid Independence movements end with the assimilation of Zeon into the Federation, which is what its sounding like its going from what they told me."

Ron sighed "Jaden?"

"Yes?"

"I'll do it." Ron said, "I'll hook into the Resurrection network. Just tell me when it's done, that way I can return to the soil and be reborn."

Jaden smiled "Your bodies are all ready," he said, "We took the liberty of already adding Gundanium Alloy Cores into their bones for you. Just stop by _Atlantis II _when your ready and we'll get you set up."

* * *

**Three days later - Large Star Cluster**

* * *

The Fleet was outside the star cluster, waiting for Sharon's Raptor to get back. The reason was simple: they needed to know what was on the other side before Ron could plot a jump for the Fleet. Colonial FTLs were only limited by their computers and the people calculating the jumps. Ron was a master of jump calculations, as he could plot them on the fly. Give him an hour and a half-decent map and he could jump you anywhere. The Garden of Thorns Port Controllers could attest to that.

But that was not why Jaden was on board the _Zeus_, looking for his insane Colonial counterpart. "Where the hell is he?" He asked himself, before eventually, he found a storage room/lab that had a crude picture of Ron's face on it. Under the 'portrait' were the words 'ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK. THAT MEANS DON'T!'

Jaden sighed "Great." He muttered, "Ron's special brand of crazy has been unleashed once more." Jaden turned the deadbolt and opened the hatch. In the center of the room was a giant black hole. "WHAT THE-"

"Relax." Jaden looked to see Ron working on some equipment, skirting the edge of the black hole. "It doesn't have a gravitational field. Just don't step on it."

"Ron, this should NOT be possible!" Jaden shouted, "That's a fucking DIRAC SEA!" Ron looked at Jaden. "Oh. What's so bad about that?" He asked.

"Besides being an unstable pocket universe?!"

"THAT is a bad thing." Ron said as he turned off all the equipment and the hole disappeared. "I kept wondering why those kept popping up now and again near AG field generators. Curiosity finally bit me and I wanted to see what the frak it was."

"This... happens a lot?" Jaden asked.

"Every time an AG generator is activated." Ron said, "Takes a while to properly tune it so it doesn't happen."

"...Thanks for the nightmare fuel." Jaden muttered, before suddenly curiosity hit him "So... out of curiosity... have you ever sent anything _inside _one of those things?"

"No." Ron said, "I WAS about to launch a drone into it, but you kind of entered the room."

"What do you think would be inside?" Jaden asked.

"No clue." He said, "I've only seen a few stable ones once or twice. The only reason it was working NOW was because I found a way to force it to happen."

Jaden sighed "Well... are you sure you can keep it contained and controlled?" He asked, "If you can... hell, send the Drone in there and let's see what we can find."

"Contained? I was doing that when you came in." He said, "Controlled? There's no such thing and you KNOW it. Get your ass over here: it's safer here than by the door."

Jaden nodded as he quickly moved to where Ron was sitting, and sat down in the chair next to him. "Alright, let's do this." He said. Ron turned the AG field generators back on, reforming the Dirac Sea. "Who the hell came up with the term 'Dirac Sea', anyways?" Ron asked.

"Paul Dirac." Jaden answered, "He was a physicist: found it by accident in the 1930s AD."

"Ah. Like how I came up with the AG field engines the _Zeus _uses." He said, nodding.

"I guess," Jaden said, "So, how do we do this?"

"Easy. I push a button, the drone launches into the Dirac Sea, we find out what the frak's in it." Ron said, as a drone was put into launching position via a large arm. "LAUNCHING!" Ron pressed the button, launching the drone into the Dirac Sea.

A few moments passed before the readings came through, "An unstable pocket universe?" Ron asked, "I see many uses for this."

"Like?"

"Infinite storage space." Ron said, and Jaden facepalmed. The camera mounted to the drone starting transmitting images. The Camera began displaying what looked like a planet... and ship, many many different ships. Some looked very rugged and angular with Steel and Grey colors, while others seemed almost organic-looking, with purple colored hulls. And it looked like the two ships were fighting one-another over the planet. "The... hell?" Jaden asked, stunned.

"I don't think this is a POCKET universe, kid." Ron said, "I think it's a door." He looked at the Dirac Sea and back at the screen. "A door into another dimension, possibly another universe." He then groaned "Why is it that all of my family's creations seem to bring nothing but pain and misery?"

"Well... this has yet to cause any pain or misery," Jaden pointed out, as he looked as the battle played out, as it was clear that the Purple-colored ships were absolutely dominating the grey and black colored ships. "Geez, that battle seems pretty one-sided..."

"One-sided, my ass." Ron said, "It's like those other ships aren't even there!"

They continued to watch, as the Purple ships launched what looked like energy weapons Jaden had never seen before, which gutted several of the Grey ships. But then the Grey Ships launched a Salvo of... something from the bows of their ships, which hit the purple ships. But barriers seemed to appear around the larger ships that shrugged them off, but some of the smaller ships, though still with barriers, failed and were shattered in half.

"They won't last much longer..." Jaden said, before an idea hit him, and he groaned "Ron... this is going to sound crazy..."

"Have we forgotten who I am?" Ron said with a raised eyebrow "I am the Lord of Insanity. Crazy is my thing."

"Is there any way that... we could enter that Dirac Sea?" Jaden asked, "Maybe help them? I know we're looking for Earth, but... damn, this is just..."

"I get it." Ron said, "Good thing that I can get a couple of Mobile Suits in here. I'll get the Delta Gundam and the Beta Dart up here. We'll need the Minovsky Drives if we get stuck there."

"Good idea," Jaden said, "But I think I'll stick with the new Gundam Mk-II the _Argama _had, I recently added a Minovsky Drive in it from what you gave me. Plus I want to test out the new... toy I've been making."

"Toy?" Ron asked, "Jaden, you've intrigued me. That's a BAD sign."

Jaden grinned "It's a scaled-down version of a Hyper Mega Particle Cannon," He explained, "Sized down for a Mobile Suit to operate, although it only has so many shots before it needs to recharge before use again... a fully charged blast could destroy a ship the size of a _Mercury-_class in one shot. I call it... the Buster Rifle."

"Well, I've got a new toy to test as well: a Mega Bazooka Launcher that I had built and modified for the Delta Gundam to dock with in Waverider mode." Ron said, standing up "Let's get our machines and kick some ass."

* * *

_**Later**_

* * *

Four Machines were now inside the room of the Dirac Sea, the RX-178 Gundam Mk-II, the MSN-001 Delta Gundam, the MSN-00100 Hyaku Shiki, and the RX-93 Nu Gundam. Jaden had managed to convince Amuro and Char to join along for the mission, with Amuro piloting his repaired Nu Gundam, and Char piloting his old Hyaku Shiki from his AEUG days. "Alright, people. This is a support operation." Ron said, "The more organic-looking ships are the enemy, while the ones that have a passing resemblance to Battlestars are friendly. Don't mix them up!"

The four pilots acknowledged, as moments later the Mobile Suits then dropped into the blackness. Due to the fact that neither the Hyaku Shiki nor the Nu Gundam had been equipped with the Minovsky Drive, (not enough H3 or time to uprate the reactors) the more famous pilots held onto their counterparts: Char held onto Ron's Delta Gundam while Amuro held onto Jaden's Mk II. "_It's...nothing but blackness._" Amuro said.

"It's a DIRAC SEA." Ron said, "It's supposed to be like this!" Three minutes passed, and they finally entered more colorful territory. The ships were getting their asses kicked, and there were less grey ones then purple. "_We've got our work cut out for us._" Jaden said.

"Split up!" Ron shouted, as the Delta Gundam transformed into Waverider Mode "Engage and destroy!" The Four Mobile Suits sped forwards towards the battle, hopefully not being too late.

* * *

_**Meanwhile, UNSC **_**Marathon-**_**class Cruiser 'UNSC **_**Leviathan**_**'**_

_**UNSC Fleet, In-Orbit of the Planet Endymion **_

* * *

Admiral Harold Stanforth of the UNSC Navy bit back a curse, as once again, the battle was going poorly for them in space. The Covenant's Battlecruisers and warships were gutting his Frigates and Destroyers, and for every ship they lost, the UNSC fleet lost four. The Battle on the Surafce was going better to a degree. Losses were heavy, but most of the civilians are finally being evacuated and UNSC Marines were holding the line for as long as they could.

But if the battle continued like this, he would have to cut his losses and retreat with what was left of his fleet...

"Admiral!" The woman operating the sensors of the _Leviathan._ "I'm... picking something up on Sensors..."

"What? More Covenant?" The Admiral asked, shaking his head.

"No... at least... I don't think so," The woman said, looking at the screen with squinted eyes "I can't get a clear reading on these things..."

The Admiral's eyes narrowed a bit, "Do we have visual?" He asked, as she nodded. "On view screen one then."

A few moments passed, and the front view screen changed, showing something that not even the Admiral expected, and caused everyone on the bridge to look in surprise. "What the hell?" The Admiral muttered, as on the screen were three Humanoid-looking Machines, and one Fighter.

"What the hell are those?" The ship's helmsman asked. "Are those Covenant?"

"No... they look to Humanoid," The Navigator said, "Why would the Covenant make machines that _look _Human-ish, or human design?" The four machines broke off and engaged the Covenant forces. The fighter, which carried what looked like an oversized gun under it, turned toward the Covenant warships, the first ship it approached being a 2 000 Meter long Covenant _BBS-_class Battleship. "Is that guy crazy?!" The Sensors Officer asked, "One man can't-" Then the giant gun fired what looked like a yellow beam of death at the battleship, the beam hitting the Warship's shields. But suddenly, the vessel's shields actually flickered and died, before the beam continued and blasted a gaping hole right in the middle of the Feared Covenant Warship, before a second shot utterly destroyed it. "HOLY SHIT!"

Then, the other three machines entered the fray, splitting off. Using what almost looked like single-bladed versions of Energy Swords Covenant Infantry would use, they cut and blasted their way through Covenant _Seraph-_class Starfighters like a hot knife through butter, saving dozens of _Longsword_-class Interceptors, and _Shortsword-_class Bombers among other ships, downing every single _Seraph _that crossed their path. One machine, a white and black colored one, released a series of objects from its back, which wirelessly outmaneuvered anything Stanford had ever seen before, and obliterated a dozen more.

"Get those pilots on the horn!" The Admiral demanded, as the Communications Officer quickly worked on finding their Comm Channel.

* * *

_**Meanwhile, with Jaden**_

* * *

"FIRING BUSTER RIFLE!" Jaden shouted, as he fired his Gundam Mk-II's Buster Rifle, destroying a 300 Meter vessel in an instant. Jaden twirled around as his Newtype senses kicked off, using his beam saber to slice in half another Fighter_._ The Saber encountered a shield which stopped it for a few seconds before piercing on through and slicing the fighter in half. "These guys aren't that good of pilots," He commented as he slung his Buster Rifle for a moment, as he picked out his regular Beam Rifle and began firing.

"_I agree,_" Char said, as the Hyaku Shiki was chasing down several other Teardrop-shaped fighters, "_But their personal energy shields are resistant - their capable of taking one to two shots from a Beam Rifle before collapsing, and only takes a few seconds for a Beam Saber to cancel it out as well._"

"Ron!" Jaden said, "Remind me to see if we can salvage what we can from the battle, I think we can at least try to add that same Energy Shield tech to our Mobile Suits - think how awesome _that _would be?"

"_I've got a better idea!_" The Delta/MBL fired at another, larger warship, then the Delta transformed and dumped an entire E-Cap's worth of beam rounds into the hull, frying the electronics, and would eventually kill everything on board. "_Disable a ship, THEN board it later!_"

"Perfect!" Jaden shouted, drawing out his Buster Rifle again, and targeted another 1,000 Meter vessel, and fired. The Beam of energy once again hit its shields, but did not last long as the blast continued and formed a massive see-through hole in the ship, before the entire ship itself exploded.

Suddenly, their Comm's crackled to life "_Attention, unidentified machines!_" A man's voice said, "_This is Admiral Harold Stanford of the United Nations Space Command Heavy Cruiser _Leviathan_, Identify yourselves immediately._"

Jaden blinked before he tracked down the Comm signal, which went back to one of the larger vessels of the Dark Grey-colored ships, one that was nearly 2,000 Kilometers long.

'_United Nations Space Command, hu?_' He thought to himself, '_Well, at least we know who they are._' "I got this Ron!" Jaden said, as he pulled out of the fight for a few moments, before he responded to the message "This is Lieutenant Commander Jaden Takeo, Swords of Freedom." He said, "To the one calling himself Admiral Stanford, don't worry, we're here to help."

There was a long pause on the Comm, before the Admiral spoke again "_Though we greatly appreciate the help,_" He said, "_I hope you can explain who the hell you people are! We've got no record of you or your machines in UNSC data-bases._"

"We can explain _after _we beat whoever these guys in the purple ships out of this system," Jaden said, before he entered the battle. "It would be nice, sir, if you could send us some IFF data? We don't want to shoot the wrong ship by accident here - even though its obvious who's the enemy and whose friendly here."

Again, there was a long pause "_All Right, very well._" Stanford said, "_Sending you IFF data now, help us push the Covenant out of here long enough for Civilian Evacuations to begin!_"

"Thank you, Admiral." Jaden said, as he quickly received the IFF data, as he could now I.D all of the UNSC ships by their names and classes, and all of the 'Covenant' vessels as well. "Ron, Amuro, Char, sending you IFF data now."

"_Let the pain commence! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_" Ron shouted across the Comm, as the Delta transformed again, heading for what appeared to be the flagship of the fleet, what the IFF identified as a _CAS-_class Assault Carrier. "Leviathan, _this is Commander Ronald Pinkerton, callsign Psycho, of the Colonial Fleet. I'd be more than happy if you guys could send boarding parties to the ships we're about to disable!_"

"_You're crazy!_" The Admiral shouted, "_We don't have the manpower-_"

"_Then I'll make your job easier._" Ron said, as he began blowing holes into the hulls of the disabled ships, venting their crews into the vacuum. In the Gundam Mk-II, Jaden watched before he blinked. Zooming in with his camera, he looked at the crew being vented, and his eyes widened as they were most obviously _not _human "Holy Frak!" He shouted, "They're not Human! Their Aliens! Those Covenant guys are Freakin Aliens!"

"_Huh. Wasn't expecting actual ALIENS._" Ron said, "_Char, take the gun! I'll engage the fighters!_"

"_Copy, Commander._" Char said, as the golden transforming MS transformed and flew into the fight while Char took the MBL and continued shooting at the Covenant warships. The Delta began blowing up the remaining Covenant fighters near the disabled warships. Like lambs to the slaughter, the _Seraphs_ were hacked apart and shot to hell.

The Covenant had now lost fifteen ships, five of which were now disabled, their crews being vented, and left adrift. And now the UNSC fleet was beginning to regroup, and organizing battle lines to unleash their MAC Cannons upon them. Deciding that they must cut their own losses, the Covenant ships began to turn away. When they did, what appeared to be portals opened up before them, and sucked the ships in before they disappeared.

"The heck was that?" Jaden asked, as he watched how the Covenant ships retreated, "That some type of FTL?"

Back on the bridge of the _Leviathan, _the reaction of Admiral Stanford was something that was mirrored on the face of everyone else in the UNSC Fleet: Utter disbelief. The Covenant were _Running, _not because the Covenant had got what they wanted, they were running with their tail between their legs after losing so many ships. This single feat has almost never been done in the entire war for as long as it has gone. Usually it would be the UNSC retreating and leaving god knows how many civilians and their own troops on the surface. But now... it was different.

_They _had won, and the _Covenant _had retreated.

"T-Thier Running..." The Comm Officer whispered in disbelief, "The Covenant... their... their actually Running..."

"W-We Won?" The Helmsman asked, sounding just as shocked as the rest of them, "We... we actually won?"

It only took a few more seconds... before suddenly, across the entire UNSC fleet, the crews and Commanders of the ships cheered and shouted in triumph as they had actually won the battle for once. Across the Comm Channels, cheers of victory were heard. The Admiral himself was in stunned silence, unable to grasp that for once, they had won a battle, not a bittersweet victory, not a victory from having outnumbered the Covenant 10/1, but a pure, honest to god victory.

His shock went away, when the voice of Ron came through the Comm again "Leviathan, _This is Psycho: We've disabled several Covenant ships,_" he said, "_I recommend boarding them, but do _not _Destroy them!_"

This snapped him out of his stunned silence "Right," he said, "We'll send Boarding party's right away," This was a golden chance never presented before in the UNSC: A successful capture of a Covenant Warship was unheard of, but now they were finally within their grasp. And with them venting atmosphere, most of their crews had to be dead, making it all the easier for them. "But, I hope you and your Comrades will dock on the _Leviathan..._ I believe we have much to talk about."

"_Yes, we do, Admiral. But be warned..._" Ron said, before his voice turned downright EVIL. "_Touch these machines with a 150-foot pole without our permission, and I will kill every single person on every single ship in this fleet. Am I PERFECTLY clear?_"

Stanford suppressed a Gulp, before he nodded "Understood, no one will touch them." He said.

"_Good, then guide us in._" Ron said, "_We've got to check in with our ship in 12 hours, so I'd like to be done in 10._"

* * *

_**UNSC **_**Leviathan**_** - Hanger **_

* * *

The four machines landed in the hanger, many crewmembers and maintenance crews had gathered around, looking at the machines in shock and awe. Among those gathered were also the entire command staff of the _Leviathan_, including the ranking Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) officer available in the fleet.

The ONI Colonel looked at the Machines, particularly the machine with the Golden V Head Crest, with interest "I would like to take a look at these machines." He muttered. Stanford shot a glare at him "Colonel, you heard the Commander's threat." He said, "We touch them, we die. And I think he's serious."

"How can you possibly think he was serious?" The Colonel asked, "They helped end the battle True, but only when we were supporting them."

"Those four Machines single-handedly destroyed over a dozen Covenant Warships in under an hour, while the best we could do in that same timeframe would be less than half that many!" The Admiral snapped, "Imnagine what they could do to _us,_ and more than half of our ships are already damaged from fighting the Covenant!"

The Colonel said nothing, but continued to look at the machines as they kneeled down. The chests of each machine opened, allowing for their pilots to disembark, and reach the hangar floor.

"Huh, they have some Gravity." The one who came out of the first V-Crested machine said, jumping up and down a few times, "Not as good as the ones on Colonial ships though, right Ron?"

The man who came out of the golden machine, who wore a midnight blue uniform and a green-gold helmet, nodded before taking off aforementioned helmet. "They don't use the same FTL drives as we do, either." He commented, "That is, if they use the same FTL or at least similar to what those Covenant Ships use."

The UNSC personnel openly gaped at the sight, that not only were the pilots Human, but two of them were surprisingly young and wearing uniforms they had never seen before. It was a random deck hand said the three words on everyone's minds. "What. The. FUCK?!"

"Ah, I see we have a welcoming committee." The four men walked toward the Leviathan's command staff. The Midnight blue saluted the Admiral. "Commander Pinkerton, assigned to Battlestar _Sydney_, Colonial Corps of Engineers."

"Lieutenant Commander Takeo, assigned to Assault Carrier _Archangel, _Swords of Freedom." The one in a Red and Black flight suit said, saluting.

"Lieutenant Commander Ray, assigned to the Assault Ship _Argama, _Londo Bell Task Force." The one in a white and Red striped flight suit said, with his own salute.

"Captain Char Aznable, assigned to the Assault Ship _Argama, _Neo Zeon." The one in a bright yellow flight suit said, with another salute.

Four different organizations, three different ships. And what the fuck was a Battlestar? "I...think we REALLY need to talk." Stanford muttered, as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Ron looked at the ONI Colonel. "And you are?" He asked.

"Colonel Andras Roland, Office of Naval Intelligence." He said. The Colonial Commander nodded, and then punched the ONI man in the face. "I don't deal with ONI, no matter what navy they serve with." He growled "Get him away from me, and keep him away from our Mobile Suits."

An ODST walked up behind the Commander, but Ron simply ducked, through him over his shoulder and karate chopped the poor bastard's neck before he hit the deck, knocking him out, could've killed him, but he knew better than to kill a soldier of a newly discovered foreign power. All this took less then 10 seconds. "I may be old, but I can still kick the asses out of almost anyone here."

"Sole exclusion: me." Jaden said, as he and Ron smirked. "Right...Briefing room's this way." Stanford said, before he led them out of the hanger, and everyone looked at the ODST body on the deck. "Holy shit." A Deckhand muttered "I thought ODSTs were the ultimate badasses!"

"Other than Spartans, you mean."

"Yeah, not including them of course."

* * *

_**Later, **_**Leviathan **_**Staff Office**_

* * *

After the four and the Admiral entered the _Leviathan's_ Staff Office, they had explained exactly who they are, and where they were from. The Colonials, the Earth Sphere, the wars, Cylons, everything. The Admiral was at first hesitant to believing them, but they would continue to prove what they said, and in all honesty? He knew they had no real reason to lie. The fact that they were humans and not Covenant certainly helped matters.

After their explanation, it was the Admiral's turn. He explained exactly what the U.N.S.C was (The fact they were from an alternate earth through them through a loop) and some recent history, considering the twenty-year long war with the Covenant that was still going on. The Attack on Harvest, the one-sided battles, Glassed Planetes, everything.

"Jeez..." Ron muttered, "It makes what the Cylons did to the Colonies look like a Spoild Brat's temper tantrum."

"The Covenant just attacked?" Jaden asked, "Nothing else? Hasn't anyone tried negotiating?"

The Admiral shook his head "Its been tried before, but they all failed." he said, "The Covenant believe that 'Our destruction is the will of the Gods, and they are their instruments'. The Covenant have held almost every advantage since the war began: Numbers, Technology, everything."

"Well, if we could help more, we would." Ron said, "But we're kind of limited on man and firepower."

"On the run with your own creations, running to a world that, until two years ago, was merely a myth." Stanford said nodding "You got the short end of the stick there."

"You've lost at least 150 planets and at least 9 billion people." Ron said with a dry chuckle "I'd say the stick snapped."

Jaden then thought about it for a few moments "Maybe... there's a way we could help each other?" He said, grabbing their attention. "Though your Tech may be inferior compared to Covenant tech, its still pretty advance where we're from. These MAC Guns and other weapons would be really helpful in our own fights against the Cylons, not to mention what those disabled Covenant ships could give us. And our technology could give you a distinct advantage, Minovsky Fusion Reactors, Beam Weaponry and such."

"I suggest... a Trade," He continued, "We give you maybe a handful of examples of our tech like a few Mobile Suits and maybe a ship or two, and in exchange... we get at least one of those disabled Covenant ships, and a few of your own ships, don't have to be clean off the line, but they should be fully stocked with whatever gear and equipment they are standardly given."

"Once we have a Colonial ship on this end, I can make another Dirac Sea and you can send your ships through." Ron said, "And remember: we're not giving you the best of the best. We still need that for our own war against the Cylons. But you ARE getting blueprints for most of our existing weapons and technology: FTL drives, Minovsky Craft propulsion, shit like that."

"We'll also toss in some older M.S, like a few One Year War-era Zaku's and GM's." Jaden said, "Not as advance as it comes, but still very advance compared to your tech, and should at least begin giving you an edge on the Covenant."

Stanford thought about it for a moment, before he nodded "I believe we can do this," he said, "If you can get those blueprints and examples to us, I can allow you to take one Covenant ship. And I believe I can donate a few of our own ships to - their old, and have been fighting since the war began, and their not in mint condition either. But their still relatively intact, have all their weapons and equipment stored all the way down to Infantry small arms and vehicles."

"As the representative of the Colonial Fleet, I will be giving you one of our warships: A _Valkyrie_-Class Battlestar, the _Jord_." Ron said, "It's a 40 year old ship, but she can fight. She recently been refit with beam weapons and she's fully loaded with two squadrons of Vipers and 10 Raptors. You can use her new CTP-drive engines as templates to refit your own ships with them."

"And from the Scrap Vultures, I can donate three ships: The _Magellan Kai-_class Battleship _Bull Run,_the _Chivvay-_class Heavy Cruiser '_Chekhov_' and the _Salamis Kai-_class Light Cruiser '_Maluku_'." Jaden said, "The _Chekhov _has room for eight Mobile Suits, Zeon-type. The _Bull Run _has no M.S but makes up for it with its Mega Beam Cannons. And the _Maluku _is an upgrade of the original type, and carries eight M.S, Federation M.S like GM's. Their old ships and M.S, but they're serviceable."

Stanford smiled a bit, and nodded "I believe that will work perfectly," he said, as he pressed a few commands on the computer, and pulled up the images of four vessels "In exchange for those, I can give you four ships in return - in addition to the Covenant Ship of course. I have the _Halcyon-_class Light Cruiser '_Silver Streak_', and three UNSC Frigates, the _Charon-_class Light Frigate '_Ready or Not_' the _Paris-_class Heavy Frigate '_Alliance_', and the _Stalwart-_class Light Frigate '_Tannenberg_'. Not the best ships we have, but they have the standard equipment set up their ships usually have. Plus their fully stocked with food, water, weapons, infantry armor, and vehicles. Plus each of them have fully functioning Slipspace Drives."

"Slipspace drives?" Ron asked, "Look, I'm kind of clueless as to that. I'll need to talk to someone who can give me more than an inkling into your FTL tech and can understand what I'm talking about."

"And who can take our craziness and live." Jaden also added.

Stanford smirked a bit "I think I can help you with that," he said, "I know someone who should be able to help you understand our tech, and give you at least an idea on what to expect with Covenant tech."

"Oh? Who?" Ron asked, curiously.

"I know that the Colonials may be paranoid with A.I's, but here in the UNSC, A.I's are very commonly used," Stanford said, "And they are often used to operate satellites, facilities, and even entire starships. I can give you an A.I to operate on the _Silver Streak, _and give him all of the data on Slipspace, our tech, and what we know of Covenant tech thus far."

"Oh, frak." Ron muttered, "GREAT. The last time I worked with an AI, it nearly took my head off!"

"Trust me, our A.I's are _very _different from Cylons," Stanford said, "Unlike yours, from what you have told us, Instead of simply "programming" a Smart A.I, the A.I. matrix is actually created by sending electric bursts through the neural pathways of a human brain which are then replicated in a superconducting nano-assemblage in a process known as Cognitive Impression Modeling. At least that's the gist of it," he shrugged "I'm an Admiral, not a scientist."

"So, your A.I's actually co-exist with you?" Jaden asked, and Stanford nodded "For the most part, yes." he said, "The only real danger an A.I could possess is when they enter Rampancy after eight years of active service, after which they literally think themselves to death. But for the most part, A.I's are treated just as fairly as a Human would."

"Well, you avoided our mistake." Ron said, "Then again, we didn't make the Cylons from cloned human minds, but a digital avatar that was copied millions of times. It's too complicated for me to explain right now, and, no offense, but you're too stupid to understand the whole thing."

Stanford chuckled a bit "Don't worry, the whole tech stuff isn't my specialty anyways." he said, "That's stuff we'd give to the Eggheads like Dr. Halsey. I'm just a navy Admiral."

"Then you'd better put us in contact with Halsey first." Ron said, "I prefer working with a human then an AI, mostly because almost every AI I've met has tried to kill me more then once. And not all of them were Cylons."

"I could work with an A.I," Jaden said, "But its probably best, for Ron's case at least, to talk too this Dr. Halsey."

Ron got out of his chair. "I'll need an AG field generator, or at least a broken one so I can contact Admiral Adama." He said, "Think you can do that, Admiral?"

Stanford sighed "I'll see what I can do," he said, "Getting in contact with Dr. Halsey is no easy task, but with all that's happened today... I think I can at least grab her attention."

"Well, then tell her that I can go to her if need be." Ron said, "The Delta's got an FTL drive, and I can calculate a jump anywhere so long as I've got a rough map."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Stanford said, "Cole Protocol prevents me from giving coordinates of UNSC worlds to non-UNSC personnel in fear of the Covenant finding our worlds, more importantly, prevent them from finding planets like Reach or Earth."

"You're talking to a man that can hack into any database." Ron said, with a smrik "And you're assuming I didn't access the navigational records. Never network communications into everything. The Cylons kicked our asses that way."

"And what makes you think those were the correct nav records?" Stanford said with his own smirk, causing Jaden and Ron to blink "The _Leviathan _has its own Shipboard A.I, it detected your hacking attempt instantly, and sent you false Nav data. Unlike your Colonials, we counter hacking attempts with more Hacking attempts. Fight fire with fire."

"I've also got the astrometric data from the Earth ships in our fleet." Ron said, "I'm going to guess Earth is about...150 lightyears away, and Reach is 140?"

"Not necessarily," Stanford said, "But close enough in Earth's case... Reach? Not so much. Like I said, we spare no expense in protecting our colonies."

"Well, if you could still arrange a meeting with Dr. Halsey, it would help _both _of us out." Jaden said, "And I myself am interested in your A.I's... I look forwards in meeting Halsey, see what the Doctor knows about this."

Ron turned toward the hatch. "If you excuse me, I'm going to make sure Mr. ONI isn't anywhere near the hanger." Ron said, "I don't trust Naval Intelligence types worth shit."

Stanford chuckled a bit "You and everyone else in the UNSC, Mr. Pinkerton." He said. "Just remember what I said. ANYONE touches our machines, I go on a killing spree." The Commander left the room, leaving everyone behind. "Does anyone else have the feeling he wasn't kidding?" Amuro asked.

"Amuro, trust me when I say this: Ron rarely kids around," Jaden said. "Hopefully, he'll at least show some restraint... just killing whoever was stupid enough to touch the machine, and not the entire fleet."

* * *

_**Later, with Ron**_

* * *

Ron had returned to the hanger and retrieved his G36KB-A1 from the cockpit of the Delta Gundam. Gathered around his and the others M.S were numerous onlookers including Marines, ODST's and other crewmen. All were wondering what the hell he was doing when he shot at the deck, burning through some of the titanium-A plating. "You get any closer then that, I will skin you alive, regrow it, then skin you again!" He shouted, "AM I CLEAR?!" Everyone promptly ran off.

"Ah, I love scaring the new people." He said with a grin, he was about to sit back in his seat, before he glanced back, and saw one Crewmen had yet to run away... actually, it was a crew woman obviously. Probably in her late teens or early twenties with short ear-length red hair, and bright blue eyes. She was wearing the standard Marine BDU, minus a helmet, as she just looked up at the machines in awe, and excitement.

"Hey! Didn't you hear me?" Ron shouted at the Marine. "Get any close, and I'll shoot!"

"I heard!" She shouted back, "Not crossing the line! I just can't stop looking! Those things are _AWESOME!_"

Ron blinked in surprise, as the woman seemed to be hopping in place almost childishly. Heck, the way she spoke sounded a bit childish and giddy. "Thanks..." Ron said, "You god a name Missie?"

"Lieutenant Louise Britian, Chief Engineer!" She said, with a mock salute "I work on the _Leviathan, _fix what needs fix'in and make what needs mak'in. Those big robots are just so _cool! _I mean, I told the other guys the UNSC needed Giant Robots, but no one listens to me! They just say I'm some crazy Otaku that watches too much Mecha Anime! Now you guys come here, and you kicked Covenant Ass!" She fist-pumped at that last remark.

The elder CCE officer chuckled as he sat back in his seat and pulled out a what looked to be an old Nintendo Gameboy Advance and turned it on. While he was one of the smartest men in existence, he had simple vices. Playing Tetris was one of them. He did not notice the squad of ODSTs approach the Gundams, led by Roland. Of course, he DID notice when the battery died. Happens at the WORST times, doesn't it?

"Son of a bi-" He began before he looked at the monitors, then at the ODSTs and the idiot leading them. The sensors said they were within 120 feet. 30 feet closer than where he told them to stay.

"I don't care whether or not this costs me." Ron muttered, "I warned them, and they did not listen. Now, they die." He keyed the radio, contacting the UNSC engineer. "Kid, get out of here. NOW." He warned, as he then activated the Delta's 60mm CIWS cannons, then tilted the head toward the UNSC troopers. Louise got the message and ran from the hanger.

Say a quick prayer for the ONI assholes. They're going to be dead in a minute. "Retards." He muttered, as he pulled the trigger, unleashing a short burst of 60mm ammo on the UNSC troops that were stupid enough to get close.

"Ron, what the FUCK are you doing?!" Ron looked at the monitors, watching as Jaden, Amuro, Char and Stanford walked into the hangar.

Ron opened a channel. "Making a point." He said.

Jaden facepalmed. "Damn it, Ron!" He shouted.

"They got in 120 feet!" Ron shouted, "I told them to stay outside 150!" Ron was sure Jaden was going to be pissed off later.

"He's right," Louise said, coming back in the hangar. "I counted, they were 30 feet closer than he warned!"

Stanford sighed "Lieutenant Britian, I told you to-"

"Done," Louise said, rocking herself on her feet. "Pelicans fixed, Scorpions armed, everything brought back to full capacity and then some. Hull breaches though are gonna need a shipyard for."

"We've got a mobile shipyard on the other side." Ron said, "I think I might be able to get it over here... just got a LOT of work to do."

"Oh! Oh! Can I help?" Louise asked, her hand raised like a child trying to answer a question, "_Please! _I really _really _wanna help!"

"Well, if you guys can get me an artificial gravity generator, I can get Shipyard 1 here in less then an hour."

"Give me thirty minutes!" Louise said, before she rushed off out of the hangar. Ron shrugged as he looked around in his cockpit. "So, What the frak are we doing for another half hour?" He asked.

"...play Tetris?" Jaden suggested.

"Perfect!" Ron shouted "I've got my-FRAK! THE BATTERY'S DEAD!"

"I've got spares, tons of e'm."

"THANK YOU!"

* * *

**117Jorn: There we go! Chapter completed, and our story has become a triple crossover!**

**Ron the True Fan: And if things go our way, it's just going to get bigger! Now, how many Cavils does Jorn get to udderly kill today? (Checks reviews) Seven. (Sweatdrops) What the fuck is it with Halo and that damned number?**

**117Jorn: Its halo, what can you do? Anyways, since I used the Flood card last time, this time I got something even better... *Switches to camera of seven Cavils, and suddenly a Promethean Knight appears and slices them appart and shoots them*.**

**Ron the True Fan: I thought I was done dealing with those things! I mean, honestly, I died FAR too many times in Halo 4 against those bastards!**

**117Jorn: Eh, they aren't that bad when you compare them to the Crawlers... god I hate those things...**

**Ron the True Fan: Well, it could be worse. It could be Kerrigan. (Shudders)**

**117Jorn: Well anyways, until next time, Ja Ne!**


	9. Chapter 9

**117Jorn: Hello everyone! Once again, me and Ron are back with another chapter of Law for the Wolves!**

**Ron The True Fan: And we will be increasing the amount of pain in this chapter. For some reason, I'll shaking with excitement.**

**117Jorn: So am I, so let's get this thing started!**

* * *

_**January 24th 2551 AD (UNSC Universe Calendar) **_

_**2 Hours after Contact - UNSC **_**Leviathan**

* * *

The crew of the _Leviathan_ were watching the crazy Commanders and the UNSC Lieutenant working on a Covenant AG field generator. "Almost like our AG field generators, but at least three generations more advanced." Ron said, "You can have gravity in one zone and zero-G in another and both of them would be controlled by the same generator." The UNSC personnel wisely stayed away from the Colonial engineer and his Earth comrade.

"Ok, in the next 10 seconds, we're either going to have a Dirac Sea or a micro black hole." Ron said, "I'm hoping for the former, but I'm not going to complain if the latter happens!" And he said that with a crazy smile.

"Alright, lets do it!" Louise shouted, as she put on a set of protection goggles "Let's light this stick and see what happens!"

"Hey, wait for me!" Jaden shouted as he ran into the _Leviathan's_ hangar where the AG Field Generator was being built. "I ain't missing out on this!"

"I was waiting on you." Ron tapped the enter key on the keyboard, activating the generator. Outside, something akin to a slipspace portal opened, only it was black as void. "Good news, we're not dead." Ron said, "Bad news, I ain't sure how long I can keep it active."

"We'll radio _Galactica_." Jaden said, "Hopefully, they're not freaking out."

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- CIC - Same time**

* * *

Unfortunately, freaking out was exactly what the Fleet was going. A black disk just appeared out of nowhere, and the Fleet was beginning to jump past the star cluster of the Algae Planet using Ron's pre-prepared jump coordinates. "What in the name of the Lords of Kobol is that thing?!" Adama demanded, as DRADIS was showing nothing, but that was the point: it was NOTHING.

"Admiral, I'm picking up a wireless transmission from the...hole." Dualla said, as Adama looked at Tigh. "I get the feeling that Ron is somehow responsible for this." He said, as he picked up the phone. "Adama."

"_Admiral, good to hear from you!_" The Old Man paled. Ron WAS responsible. "Commander...where are you?"

"_A long and complicated story, sir._" Ron said, "_I'm going to have to ask you to send Shipyard 1 through the Dirac Sea with the following ships._" By the time Ron was finished, Adama had the urge to get wasted. Then he looked at Tigh and was reminded that Tigh did it for him on a daily basis.

* * *

**15 minutes later - UNSC **_**Leviathan**_

* * *

The massive _Artemis_-Class Mobile Shipyard exited the Dirac Sea with an escort: the Battlestar Dreadnought _Nemesis_. To say the UNSC crews were shitting themselves was an IMMENSE understatement. "What the fuck?!" Stanford shouted, "Why the hell do you need something that BIG?!"

Ron smirked as his massive 'daughter', which dwarfed anything the Covenant and the UNSC had, entered orbit. "Size matters." He said, "That, and the 1500cm guns wouldn't fit on a normal Battlestar." At 90 kilometers long, the massive _Zeus_-Class BSD was only dwarfed by Shipyard 1. "Alright, guys: dock your ships with Yard 1: we'll patch you all up!"

Stanford nodded, as he sent the orders to the _Leviathan's _A.I, which sent the order too every other UNSC ship. Before long, all of the UNSC ships approached the Shipyard to be repaired.

"Man, I can't wait to get all this new weapons," Jaden said, as he looked through the data on UNSC weapons "Ron, with these MAC guns, mixed with your tech, we could make it so the 1500's are twice as powerful! Hell, with enough refits, we could give every Battlestar-sized ship in the fleet one of these MAC guns! And these Archer missile pods are brilliant as well! More missiles taking up less space! And don't get me started with their infantry weapons and gear." He picked up the weapon he had gotten from the _Leviathan's _armory, the MA5C Assault Rifle "I think I'm in love with this thing... its ammo might actually be capable of piercing Cylon Armor!"

"No shit: it's semi-armor piercing ammo." Ron said, "I have one issue with their MAC guns, though."

"Oh?"

"You have to point the ship at whatever you're shooting at." Ron said, "The _Phalanx_-Class dreadnought has the same weakness, and compounds it with lack of fighter support. While they could blow up any Baseship they encountered, the Raiders would destroy one minutes later. In fact, it and the _Legacy_-Class were the reason I developed the _Zeus_. They SUCKED."

"Their not that bad," Jaden said, "And it seems the UNSC don't have that problem as much; all of their ships seem to have substantial fighter support, except their Destroyers. Its an issue, but the UNSC's biggest problem is obviously their lack of shields to counter Covenant Plasma weaponry."

"Well, from what little I've seen, they work on almost the same principle as beam weapons." Ron said, "The shields are almost perfect against projectile weapons, but plasma overloads them. Perfect defense against plasma weapons would be an I-Field."

"If we merged Covenant shields with I-Fields, they'd be pretty hard to beat..." Jaden said, with a grin "I think I found one of the next projects we'll be working on for the next few days."

"Well, that's IF I can make a working I-Field generator." Ron muttered, "For the love of the Gods, it's a pain in the ass to make!"

"Hey, I'm sure we can do it." Jaden said, "Remember: I've been working with Minovsky and M.S tech longer than you have, together we should have this thing solved by the end of the week."

"Well, that girl-what was her name again?" Ron asked.

"Lieutenant Louise Britain I believe," Jaden said, smirking a bit "I kinda like her, she reminds me of... well, me to be honest!"

"And of me when I was MUCH younger." Ron said, before he shook his head "Look at me, sounding like an old man." Ron facepalmed. "I forgot: I'm 70. I AM an old man!"

"You do realize I can ask my parents to give you a more... younger body if you wanted too, right?" Jaden asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I know that." Ron said, rolling his eyes "I'm just saying that I'm old enough to be your grandfather."

"Well, you'd sure as hell make one kick-ass Grandpa," Jaden said with a light chuckle.

"And don't you forget it, kid." Ron said with a smirk.

"I won't," he said, "So anyways, about Louise - you thinking of convincing the Admiral of her coming back with us?"

"We could always more crazy engineers." Ron said, "I'll go talk to him. Right now, though, I've got to go talk to Admiral Adama. Wish me luck." Ron left the room.

Jaden smiled a bit, before he turned around and began his search for the said crazy engineer in question, and make her an offer she probably could never refuse.

* * *

_**Later - **_**Galactica **_**CIC**_

* * *

When Ron told Adama that he was bringing back a ship, he wasn't kidding. A large purple warship came out of the Dirac Sea, badly damaged, but still spaceworthy, about the size of the _Mercury_. CCE and Scrap Vulture personnel were swarming all over the ship while Ron spoke with Adama. On that front...

"Commander, while I support any means that help us against the Cylons, your insanity is going to ACTUALLY get us all killed this time!" Adama shouted, "Dealing with Earth's misfits will be bad enough, but a group of alien races with a hard-on against humanity?! Are you TRYING to make enemies for us?"

"Is that a rhetorical question, Admiral?" Ron asked, "Because it sounded like one."

It took all of Adama's willpower to not pull out a gun and blow Ron's brains out. Because he could now. "Yes, Commander, it was." He growled, "Go back and tell Admiral Stanford that I'll speak with him later. You'll go pick up our men, because-"

"DRADIS contacts!" Both men looked at the DRADIS, which showed a large number of Cylon Baseships jumping in, including one MASSIVE one. "Mr. Gaeta, get me a DRADIS profile on that large one." Adama ordered.

Gaeta looked at the DRADIS sensors, "We've got twelve Baseships, and... holy..." he said, as his eyes widened "Sir... that... there's something in their fleet its... gods, its twice the size of a _Zeus!_"

"Twice the size only in dimensions, Mr. Gaeta." Ron said, "It's a BASESHIP. That means it doesn't even have half the arms or armor of a _Zeus_. But it's got the one thing we don't have: a frakton of Raiders."

Suddenly, just after he spoke that, the _Galactica _shuddered "What the hell was that?" Adama shouted.

"That... that Super Baseship just fired... projectile weapons!" Gaeta reported, sounding shocked, "We took heavy fire along our hull! Their launching Raiders!" Ron looked at the DRADIS, counting at least 20 Raider squadrons. "We survived that shot." He said, "That means either the KEW cannons on that thing are either underpowered, undersized or both. Either way, I have a nasty counter for them." He looked at Gaeta. "Mr. Gaeta, tell _Akron_ and _Macon_ to enter attack positions."

"Orders?" He asked, and Ron chuckled in amusement. "Standard Battlestar tactics: tell them to pound that Baseship together."

While giants, _Zeus_-Class BSDs could still work together like any Battlestar. It was the Colonial mindset: two against one.

"Tell all of our _Spitfire_-Class AA cruisers to enter defense position." Ron ordered, "If that thing carries guns, it carries even more missile launchers." The giants approached the Cylon Super Baseship and prepared to fire. "Admiral, Commander, the Cylons are recalling their fighters." Gaeta reported.

Tigh, Ron and Adama looked at each other in confusion. "Think they're actually giving up?" Tigh asked. Ron shook his head "No. Too easy."

"Sir, we're being hailed." Dualla said, "It's the Cylon Super baseship, requesting to speak with you." Adama looked at Dualla. "Put it through the speaker." He said, as he picked up the phone.

"This is Admiral Adama." He said, and the voice was VERY familiar.

"_Admiral, I can't tell you what a genuine pleasure it is to hear your voice._"

"Oh, NO."

"_This is Gaius Baltar._"

Ron picked up Tigh's phone. "Eat shit and die." He shouted, "It was enough that you were a bastard - now you a full-on Traitor Baltar!"

"_Commander-_"

"Save it!" He shouted, "_Akron, Macon_, destroy that ship!"

"Commander, more DRADIS contacts just appeared: ALL of them are Cylon Baseships!" Gaeta reported "Bearing-FRAK! They're right on top of the Fleet!"

"_Are you willing to listen, Commander Psycho?_" Adama and Tigh narrowed their eyes at Cavil's mocking voice. "What the frak do you want, Cavil?"

"_To talk. I'm sending in a Heavy Raider._"Cavil said mockingly "_And I'd be very disappointed if you tried to shoot it down._"

"Admiral, the Baseships are all arming nukes." And all of their _Spitfires _were outside of the Fleet. It the Cylons fired those nukes, humanity (at least Colonial humanity) was dead. "Fine." Ron growled "See you when you get here." Ron hung up the phone and looked at Adama. "We're screwed if we do anything, sir. I'm sorry."

"S-Sir, I've got new DRADIS Contact!" Gaeta shouted, "A fleet of unidentified ships just came through... the black hole?"

* * *

_**Meanwhile, **_

_**Dirac Sea**_

* * *

**(Begin Playing 'The Codex - Jack's Theme')**

Emerging from the Dirac Sea portal, was the UNSC _Leviathan, _along with the entire UNSC fleet it commanded, including two _Atlas-_class Carriers, five _Halcyon-_class Light Cruisers, eight _Pioneer-_class Destroyers, and three dozen UNSC Destroyers ranging from _Paris, Stalwart _and _Charon-_classes. The UNSC ships launched all of their fighters and bombers forward, and leading these formations were none other than the Gundam Mk-II, Nu Gundam and Hyaku Shiki.

"Admiral Stanforth, target the silver star-shaped ships!" Jaden said from the cockpit, "Their Cylon Baseships! Fire at will and take e'm out! They ain't got no shields!"

"_Roger that, Takeo._" Stanforth said, "_All ships: Open fire!_"

All of the UNSC ships unleashed a salvo of MAC guns - the targeting done by their respective A.I's as each MAC blast soared forward, and hit their mark. The Baseships which were threatening the fleet met the full bulk of the MAC Guns, and more than half of them were shattered upon impact, while the others were heavily damaged and taken out of the fight.

"_This is Admiral Adama to unidentified ships: thanks for the support._"

"Akron/Macon, _Psycho: blow that giant Baseship to hell_!" Jaden looked at the sensors on the monitors, looking for the two _Zeus_-Class BSDs. They were within 50 kilometers of what looked like a twelve-armed Baseship that was 200 kilometers in diameter. "Where the fuck did they get that thing?!"

"_Don't know, but I don't think it'll survive those two ships!_" Ron said, as the two BSDs opened fire with EVERY gun they had. The 1500cm cannons proved their deadliness once more as the Baseship began to crumble under the might of the two ships. Several of the arms were destroyed, and the Baseship just wasn't dealing any damage to the BSDs. Before they could finish the job, however, the Super Baseship jumped away. Without their ace in the hole (which wasn't much of an ace) the Cylons began jumping away, but they left one ship behind: a single Heavy Raider. Before it could jump, a pair of Colonial Patriots shot at it, disabling the FTL drive and engines. "_Sir, we've got the Heavy Raider._"

"Bring it in." Ron said, "It's time we dealt with Baltar once and for all."

"Baltar's on that Heavy Raider?" Jaden asked.

"Bastard's either working with the Cylons or the Cylons are making him talk." Ron said, "Either way, I'm not screwing around, kid." Jaden turned the Mk II toward Galactica, intending to find out what happened while he was in the other universe.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- port flight pod - 20 minutes later**

* * *

"So the Cylons jumped in with that giant Baseship and threatened to nuke the fleet...why?" Jaden asked, as he had arrived on _Galactica, _along with Admiral Stanforth.

"Don't know: Cavil was coming over with Baltar and a few others before you guys came in and blasted the shit out of those other Baseships." Ron said, "Nice work, by the way."

Jaden shrugged "Hey, my Newtype senses told me _something _bad was happening over here," he said. "I just had to convince Admiral Stanforth to trust me."

"Consider it us repaying our debts, Commander," Stanforth said with a smile.

The Heavy Raider hatch opened and out came five people: A One, a Six, a Three, an Eight and Baltar. "Commander?" Ron looked as Athena walked over. "Sir, that's Boomer."

Ron blinked. "As in the one that shot the Old Man?" He asked, and Athena nodded. "Very well." Ron said as he narrowed his eyes, and pulled out his revolver.

"Ron, don't!" Jaden said as he grabbed his arm. "Ron, don't do this!"

"She shot Adama!"

"Rhea shot Smith!"

"Smith got one bullet! Adama took TWO rounds and one of them was damn near his heart!"

"What Difference does one bullet make?" Jaden asked. "The bullet that Rhea shot was pretty close to his heart too, wasn't it?"

"It didn't come anywhere near his aorta!" Athena looked at Jaden. "Is he connected to the Resurrection network?" She asked, and Jaden nodded. Athena grabbed a G36KB-A1 and fired a round into Ron's head. "There. I think that solves that, sir."

"Jesus!" Stanforth shouted, as his hand flew to his side-arm.

"Calm down Admiral," Jaden said calmly, "Ron's hooked into a Resurrection Network. By now he's probably being resurrected on _Atlantis II._" Stanforth still looked at Jaden in shock, who sighed "I'll explain _later, _sir."

Athena, then she pointed it at Cavil and Baltar. "Whoa, Athena!" Jaden warned, but she shook her head. "I'm not going to shoot her, sir." She said, "I think the Admiral wants all of them in the brig."

A squad of Marines grabbed them and escorted them out. "Commander! I know why we're all here! I-"

"Shut up, Baltar!"

* * *

_**Later, **_**Galactica **_**Brig**_

* * *

Just a few minutes later, Cavil, Baltar, Boomer, and the D'Anna Number 3 were in the brig, where outside Adama, Roslin, Stanforth, and Jaden were looking at their new prisoners. "I still can't believe their A.I..." Stanforth muttered, "They look so... human..."

"That's the point, I believe," Jaden said. "The Cylons wanted them to look as human as possible - makes them better infiltrators." He then glanced at Adama "So, what are you planning on doing, Admiral?"

Adama looked at Boomer. "I'm tempted to do what Ron tried to do." He said, "But one of you would put a round in me before I got the chance." He looked at Baltar. "You said you know something: why we all came to this planet. Talk, or else when Ron gets back here, I'll let him deal with you."

"The Eye of Jupiter, Admiral." Baltar said, and cue confusion. "Eye of Jupiter?"

"It shows the way to Earth, so says the scriptures." Cavil said, "It was left behind by the 13th Tribe as they left for Earth. It's on the planet below. God-"

Adama growled. "I don't want to hear about any religious crap." Adama demanded, "Give me a straight answer."

"The Hybrid." Baltar said, simply.

Jaden scoffed. "No wonder it doesn't make any sense." He said, "But I'll ask my parents. They can confirm your story."

All of the Cylons and Baltar blinked at that "Wait... your parents?" Cavil asked, "What do you mean, what would _they _know?"

Jaden smirked a bit "My mother is from the _Atlantis II,_" he said, "It use to be part of the city of Atlantis - the home of the humans who colonized earth during their exodus from Kobol. She's directly descended from the original 13th Tribe settlers."

The looks on their faces - at least for Jaden - were priceless as they openly gaped at him, only Cavil seemed to keep his composure going moderately "Your bluffing." he said.

"Why would I bluff?" Jaden asked, "I could take you all on _Atlantis II _and see for yourself. The 13th Tribe found earth, discovered humans already there, and they lived in harmony with their own Cylons until a virus nearly killed the Cylons, causing a war between humans and Cylons, but ended when Atlantis was destroyed - minus _Atlantis II _which escaped with the remnants of the 13th, and the Cylons who helped them. Since then, the Humans and Cylons of _Atlantis II _have been coexisting perfectly - with full access to their own Resurrection Tech."

"And I'm living proof." A voice said, as Everyone looked at the hatch to see a younger Ronald Pinkerton standing at the hatch. He looked like he was 25 again, and was about 10 pounds lighter. "I should thank Athena for blowing my brains out. By the way, any of you feeling sick?"

The prisoners were too shocked to answer, as they looked at Ron - who they clearly saw killed on the flight pod. "I...I...Impossible..." Cavil muttered.

"There is a word for that, Cavil." Ron said, with a smirk "NOT!"

"You haven't answered the question," Jaden said, "Have any Cylons been feeling sick? As in ungodly sick?"

The Number Three was the first to recover, as she spoke "N-No..." she said, confused and shocked all at once. "We haven't... what... what are you talking about?"

"Roslin tried to infect you all with an ancient bioweapon." Ron said, "Thanks to me and Jaden, it failed."

Roslin looked at Ron. "What?" demanded.

"We hooked the infected Cylons into the A2's Resurrection network, via our captured Resurrection Ship." Ron said, smirking a bit "After the Harvest was destroyed, they downloaded onto it. Those Cylons are still alive, cured, and all of them are on a CCE ship, Madam President. You can't touch them."

Roslin looked at Adama. "I'm not getting involved, Laura." Adama said, his hands raised "They're on a CCE ship, and Ron's still got the BSDs. If I push, which I won't, he could destroy _Galactica_."

"Why... why didn't you?" Boomer asked, gaining their attention "You... you could of killed all of us... every Cylon in the galaxy... why didn't you?"

"Because I have Morals, Boomer - I can call you Boomer, right?" Jaden said, "Me and Ron were not going to become War Criminals that allows Genocide on the scale of what Cavil and the Cylons did at the 12 Colonies. I like to believe that not _every _Cylon is like Cavil here, and that there are some who don't want the genocide of humanity." He then leaned a bit forward "So, we refused to commit genocide on the Cylons - because that would make us just as bad as they were. I hope that maybe - just maybe - Cylons and Humans may be able to fully coexist someday, like they do on _Atlantis II,_ as well as like the Cylons _you _abandoned at the Lions Head Nebula to die, while we were willing to help them, and other Cylons who have sided with us like Rhea, Athena, Caprica Cavil, even the D'Anna Biers from the _Galactica's_ fleet has become a moderate - working with both humans and Cylons on the Garden of Thorns."

The group was all in stunned silence, as Jaden looked at Boomer again "Boomer... let me ask you something." He said, getting her attention once again "Do you regret shooting Adama? Did you want to cause what happened on _Galactica _too happen?"

Boomer shook her head, "No... no I didn't..." she said, as they could see a few tears in her eyes as she looked at Adama "I didn't... I couldn't control what I did sir..." she said, "On that Baseship... the one I destroyed... I saw copies of me there... I discovered I was a Cylon that day... Baltar lied to me with his machine... I just set the nuke, and ran... but when I got back to _Galactica..._ I lost control of everything I did." She shook her head "I know it won't mean anything now Sir... but I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I didn't want this to happen..."

Ron shook his head. "If you find that sleeper personality, please tell me so I can find a way to put it in a body." He said, "It and I are going to have a LONG talk. Preferably with a VERY sharp knife." Ron left the brig, his anger bellowing out of him. It didn't take a Newtype to see it.

"He's angry at me, isn't he?" Boomer asked, already knowing the answer.

"He's Tauron." Adama said, "Blood for blood: it's how he thinks. If he can't kill you, he wants to kill someone. Might as well be this...sleeper personality. I don't pretend to know what the frak him and Jaden are talking about half the time."

Cavil looked at his captors. "So...Now what?" He asked.

Roslin came up with good ol' Plan A. "Airlock him." She said, pointing at Cavil "If Commanders Pinkerton and Takeo don't trust his model, neither do I." She looked at Baltar. "And you...I'll let Commander Pinkerton deal with you. I believe he has someone specialized in interrogation techniques."

"Captain Yuna Farron." Jaden said, "She's...not a moral woman."

"I don't care." Roslin said, "I want answers, and the CCE doesn't care how they get them. Marines, please escort Baltar to a Raptor. I want him on _Zeus_."

The Marines did as instructed, as they grabbed Baltar, who was pleading for his life as they dragged him out, and another Marine grabbed Cavil, to take him to the Airlock, leaving only Boomer, the Six and the Number Three before them. "What... about us?" She asked.

"You two - will be coming with me." Jaden said, catching them by surprise, "We'll just take you too _Atlantis II_... I want to show you both something. After that... depending on what you think and what you see... we'll decide what to do with you afterwards."

"In the meantime, we'll send a team down to the surface." Adama said, "Find this 'Eye of Jupiter'. And Boomer?" She looked at Adama. "Find that sleeper personality. Make it go into another body so Ron can kill it and be done with it. You won't be safe as long as that thing is stuck in your head."

* * *

**Battlestar Dreadnought **_**Zeus**_** - Brig**

* * *

A redhead wearing an undone CCE uniform jacket waited for her newest playmate to arrive. Unlike most CCE personnel, she was no engineer. She was a master interrogator, who got into the minds of the people she was interrogating. Other than Ron, she was the most feared person in the CCE. "Ah, he's finally here!" She said in a sing-song voice as the Marines dragged Baltar in, then ran like hell and shut the hatch behind them. Being in the same room as Yuna 'Headcase' Farron was a BAD idea.

Baltar looked at the attractive-looking woman, then paled when he saw the uniform. "Please, don't hurt me." He pleaded.

Yuna cupped his cheek. "Oh, I'm not going to hurt you." She said with a smirk "Physically." She added, and then Baltar screamed.

**(WARNING: The following torture scene has been deleted as it would be pushing our luck posting it!)**

* * *

_**Battlestar Galactica - Ward Room**_

* * *

"We're going to try Baltar for treason." Roslin said, "What I need to know is this: what Colony is he from?"

Ron scoffed. "What, you can't tell?" He said, and Roslin and Jaden looked at Ron. "No." They both said.

"It's the accent." Ron said, "While Caprican, it's too...heavy. Too thick."

"Your point?" Jaden asked.

"He's from Aerilon: that's why it's thick." He elaborated, "Wanted to erase his 'farmboy' past. And that poses a major problem."

Roslin and Adama groaned in annoyance while Jaden was clueless. "Care to help me out?" He asked.

"Under Aerilon law, you can't be tried for treason if you have citizenship with another colony." Ron explained, "It's how Zarek avoided the death penalty on Sagittaron."

"Well, I say we screw planetary law." "Jaden said, shrugging Set up a Fleet-wide legal system that applies to everyone, Colonial, Atlantean, Federation and SOF."

Everyone looked at Jaden as if he was crazy. Ron, however, liked it. "You are a genius." He said, grinning.

"You're both insane." Roslin said, shaking her head "Everyone will object-"

"Screw them." Ron said, "We need a working legal system, not that piece of shit that barely worked on the 12 Colonies!"

"Agreed," Jaden said, "The Articles of Colonization have several Flaws - this one being just one of them. Its very similar to the Articles of Confederation used by the early United States back in Pre-U.C. We need a more unified legal system, one where criminals can't hide from the law just because of their nationality and citizenship."

"On another note, we should find the Eye of Jupiter and get the frak out of here." Ron said.

Jaden looked at Ron. "Ok, you know something." He said, "Spill it."

"It's the star." Ron said, "It's old. REALLY old."

"As in-"

"On the verge of going supernova old."

Everyone knew what a supernova could do to the Fleet. Nothing would survive the star going nova. "Son of a bitch." Adama muttered.

"It gets worse." Ron said, "The star had a few more months of live left to it, but the Dirac Sea kind of stole it. We've got only a few days before the star explodes and destroys the planet."

"Borrowed time if I've ever heard of it, Commander." Adama said as he got up and got to a phone. "This is the Admiral: I want a sitrep on the ground teams."

* * *

**Battlestar Dreadnought **_**Zeus **_**- Brig**

* * *

After less then five minutes, (and saving our asses from getting kicked off the site because of an R-Rated torture scene) Baltar broke. He was telling Yuna everything, but she wasn't listening. She had every word being recorded on a tape recorder. '_He was no fun.' _She thought, _'If anything, he was easier then Jahee! Oh, Ronnie, why can't you give me good people to play with?_' The only person who DIDN'T know about her crush on Ron was the man himself. Then again, he was seeing Milsteen. She left the brig, letting the recorder suck in every word Baltar spoke.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- Baltar's Lab**

* * *

After five minutes, and a request from Adama, Ron and Jaden had a verdict on the Cylon Detector.

"It works." Ron said, as Tigh looked at the machine that failed to find Boomer. "You're kidding." He muttered.

"I kid you not: the detector works." Ron said, "Baltar only lied to save his own ass from Boomer's Cylon wrath." He looked at Jaden. "Sounds like a wrestling move, doesn't it? Boomer's Cylon Wrath."

Jaden chuckled a bit at the joke. "So, you'll be able to find who those last five Cylons are?" Adama asked.

"Sir, there were 45000 people in the Fleet before we met up." Ron said, "Even though the test takes two or three hours-"

"Baltar say it took twelve."

"He was lying to save his ass once more." Ron continued, "It doesn't take that long: in fact, Boomer's beta test took seconds. And that _wasn't _being thorough. Of course, the Final Five are closer to human then Cylon, which will make it a larger pain in the ass."

"Define 'larger'."

"Define larger...?"

"Sir." Tigh HATED that Ron outranked him.

"It'll take 8 hours." Ron said, "And we've lost people since then, but eight times 43000 is 215000 hours. That's at least 50 years, not counting sleep."

"What if we made more machines like this?" Jaden asked, "I mean... if we made more of these machines, wouldn't it make it so the time would be reduced?"

"Each of these needs a nuclear warhead." Ron said, "We don't have that many left, kid."

"Why does it have to be a warhead?" Jaden asked, "Why not use a type of Minovsky Reactor?"

"H3 isn't radioactive, and to tell the difference, it needs to be irradiated." He explained. (RON AN: This is scientifically correct: Helium-3 is a non-radioactive substance)

Jaden thought about it, trying to think of a solution, before he blinked "Wait... Cylon Baseships have Nukes in em, right?" He asked. At Ron's nodded he continue "What if we captured a few Baseships, but only to capture their Nuclear Warheads? Once we get everyone their ships got, we blow up their ships."

"You're insane." Ron said, "But as we all know by now, insanity is the name of the game."

"So, we capture a Baseship then?" Jaden asked with a grin.

"Take, raid, destroy." Ron said with his own smirk "That seems to be our thing, isn't it?"

"Seems so, but first thing's first." Jaden said, standing back up. "First we need to get the trade between the UNSC and us completed, and get them back through the portal. Once we're _far away _from the sun about to go Supernova, we can try to figure out how to make a more... permanent connection with our universes."

"A Dirac Sea in the middle of nowhere works just fine." Ron said, "Hell, it'll work in a star system as long as the star ain't going to blow." The phone rang, and Adama picked it up. "Adama."

"_Sir, Chief Tyrol's found something down here._" Starbuck said, "_He says it's the 'Temple of the Five'._" Adama looked at Ron. "Temple of the Five?" He asked.

"It's one of the signposts to Earth, left by the 13th Tribe when they left Kobol." Ron said, "Its' proper title is 'Temple of Hopes', but-"

"I wanted to know what it was, not the fraking history, Commander." Adama said, "Chief says he's found it down on the surface."

"Then he'll find the Eye of Jupiter down there, too." Ron said, "Right now, though? I'm going to go looking for a gas giant to strip mine."

* * *

**Battlestar Dreadnought **_**Zeus**_** - CIC**

* * *

Mana didn't flinch as the third most insane person in the CCE (Jadan and Ron took first place, even though Jaden wasn't technically CCE) entered CIC. As always, Yuna's uniform was undone. "Captain, what are you doing in CIC?" She asked.

"Wanted to talk to Ronnie." She said smirking.

"You know he HATES being called that."

"Do I really care what you think, Major?" Yuna asked with a smirk, as Mana rubbed her temples as her XO and the CCE's chief interrogation specialist butted heads. She left before it dissolved into a fist fight. Which it did. "I'm going to get drunk." She announced, "Tell Commander Pinkerton that Yuna's finished with Baltar."

* * *

_**Later - UNSC **_**Silver Streak**

* * *

"Once we get out of here, we will find a more suitable location to set up the portal for contact again," Jaden said to Admiral Stanforth in the hangar of the _Halcyon-_class Light Cruiser, one of the four UNSC ships that would be staying in their galaxy operating under CCE and the Scrap Vultures. "Hopefully that will be soon. Just make sure you keep your AG Generator functioning, so wherever yours is, we will appear close by."

The Admiral nodded "I look forward for when we meet again then, Mr. Takeo," he said, as he turned to Louise Britain, who stood next to Jaden with a face-splitting grin."You take care Louise," he said. "You won't have any UNSC support here."

"I can handle myself sir," She said, still grinning. "Me and Aiosha can look after one another."

"You got that right!" Another female voice, as the Holo-pedestal next to them lit up, as the A.I figure of Aiosha, who looked almost identical too Louise, only she was glowing bright green. "I'll keep the ships going!"

Stanforth smiled and nodded "I know you will," he said, turning back to Jaden, as he saluted him "I hope you find your way back home, Jaden." He said, "TIll we meet again."

Jaden smiled as well, as he and Louise saluted as well "Till we meet again, Admiral." He said. The Admiral then turned and boarded a Pelican, which soon left to rejoin the _Leviathan _and the UNSC fleet as they passed through back to their universe. Moments later, the portal closed behind them.

"So, when can we take a look at one of those FTL drives you guys keep talking about?" Louise asked.

"Well, I think Ron can spare a Raptor or two." Jaden said, "At least they can land on another ship and not be left behind."

As if on cue, a pair of Raptors landed in the hanger. In them were a large number of CCE engineers and Scrap Vulture volunteers led by Matthew. "What's going on?" Jaden asked, "I thought Ron was going to meet me."

"Change of plans." Matthew said, "He's on _Cloud Nine_ beating the shit out of someone. He'll see you back on the _Sydney_." Matt joined the engineering teams as they moved deeper into the ship.

"Well, I hope they don't mind, but I'm gonna take apart one of those Raptors!" Louise shouted, as she got into one of the Raptors as Jaden shook his head. '_Wait a second_.' He thought '_Why's Ron on _Cloud Nine_?_'

* * *

_**Cloud Nine - Suite 48D**_

* * *

"You know, you assholes are REALLY beginning to test me." Ron shouted, as he held a man by the neck collar. The Ha'la'tha idiots (who managed to survive both the Fall and Baltar's administration) had just threatened one of his engineers the day before. And we all know what happens to idiots who do that.

"Broken noses and legs, cracked skulls, shattered arms and ribs..." Ron listed off as he shook his head. "You're going to be lucky if you even SURVIVE the next five minutes, let alone another day."

One of them slumped forward. "Oi! No sleeping while I'm talking!" Ron shouted as he smacked him, "It's rude."

When the man didn't get back up, Ron checked the man's pulse. "Son of a bitch." He muttered, "I guess the Gautrau doesn't train em like they use to." He was dead.

"Oh well, you morons got the point." Ron said, "Don't touch my people ever again. I'll call for the medics, so I hope you guys made Hermes and Apollo happy!"

His cellphone rang. "Frak." He said as he pulled it out and answered. "_Cloud Nine_ Morgue: You Stab 'Em, We Slab Em."

"_...Where the fuck did you get THAT line?_" Jaden asked.

"Canceron." Ron said smirking "It was a nice morgue, too." Ron heard flesh meeting flesh in a loud slap. Judging from several things that are too long to list, Ron surmised that Jaden facepalmed. Then he heard something crash in the background. "PLEASE tell me that was not the wireless set in a Raptor."

"_How the hell did you KNOW?_"

Ron groaned as he left the suite. "It's the brat, right?" He asked, "She's tearing apart one of my Raptors without supervision."

"_I'm going to blame that on your Newtype powers, man._"

"Sorry, I'm a D, remember? Worst of the worst."

"_D to low C, remember._" Jaden said, "_Besides, I'm making sure she doesn't do anything stupid. Don't worry._"

A loud explosion was heard on the other end. "I suggest you try harder." Ron deadpanned.

"_Shit! Gotta go, bye!_" Jaden shouted hurriedly before he turned off the Phone.

Ron quickly hung up and got to the hanger, where his Raptor was waiting for him.

* * *

**Surface of the Algae Planet**

* * *

"Any luck on finding that fraking Eye of Jupiter?"

Dualla shook her head. "Chief's started tearing apart that temple piece by piece." She said, "If the Eye's in there-" Suddenly, the sky started flickering. "Oh, shit."

While none of them had ever seen a supernova, they knew the signs. "Uh, does anyone see what I'm seeing?" Dualla said, as everyone looked up. What they were all seeing was a giant copy of the mandala in the Temple in the sky. The fraking NOVA was the Eye.

"Well...frak."

"GET ON THE RAPTORS!" Apollo shouted, "Get the hell of this planet!"

* * *

**Later, Space orbiting Algae Planet**

_**Halcyon-**_**class Light Cruiser **_**Silver Streak**_

* * *

The fleet was quick to assemble back into space, as the ships and colony vessels were brought into formation and quickly moving away from the planet and the star.

"Alright, let's get out of here before that Supernova hits us!" Jaden shouted, as he and Ron entered the bridge with Louise, "Aiosha, sync the fleet's FTL Coordinates with the ones Ron plots."

"You got it," Aiosha said, as her hologram appeared on the Holo-tank. "Only take a moment, Commander Pinkerton, just type in the FTL jump coordinates, I'll worry about the Slipspace Jump Coordinates for our UNSC ships."

"You better not screw this up!" Ron said as he moved to a Terminal "Your FTL technology is radically different from ours! One miscalculation and we could miss them completely!"

"Don't worry, I've got this all figured out." Aiosha said, "Ever since I got here I've been calculating and seeing how your FTL drives work - Our slipspace drives may not be 100% accurate like the Covenant's are, but they'll at least put us close to where your ships are. Plotting coordinates for FTL isn't too different from Slipspace plotting. Only difference is that your FTL is more accurate - My best estimates show if we integrate FTL and Slipspace together, not only will your ships be able to travel further distances faster, but also even more accurate than before."

Ron began his calculations for the Colonial ships, transmitting them to the civilian and military fleets as soon as he was complete. "Get us out of here!" He shouted "We've got 2 minutes till that sun explodes!"

The Colonial Fleet jumped away, leaving only the ex-UNSC warships. "Son of a bitch." Ron muttered to Louise "If you hadn't blown up that Raptor, I'd still be on _Galactica_!"

"How was I supposed to know that would happen?!"

"Um, we're good to go, guys." Aiosha said, as Ron looked back at the AI. "THEN GET US OUT OF HERE!" He shouted.

The slipspace drives engaged seconds before the shockwave reached the planet, getting them out of the line of fire while the planet itself was shattered as they entered the realm of Slipspace.

Everyone sighed in relief that they were safe. Of course, slipspace was a lot slower then a normal FTL jump, so it would take time to reach the Fleet. "ETA to FTL coordinates: 2 hours." Aiosha said.

Ron, who had taken a chair on the bridge, turned to face Louise. "You and I are going to have a long talk about HOW you managed to blow up that Raptor with a PIPE WRENCH!" He said. God was in his heaven, Ron was angry as hell. Life was back to normal.

* * *

**2 weeks later - gas giant - mining/refueling operations**

* * *

Once again, the fleet now orbited another Gas Giant, where mining and refueling operations were being conducted to gain more Helium-3 to build more Minovsky Reactors. The fleet was once again in a set of strides with their new additions of weapons and tech from both the UNSC, and the Captured Covenant _CCS-_class Battlecruiser, which they had renamed the _Kobol's Revenge_.

The mixture of technology easily showed on the refits that were currently being done on the _Silver Streak, _as its MAC rounds were 'Hollow-pointed' with Plasma which drastically increased their damage, as well as adding energy shielding reverse-engineered from the _Kobol's Revenge._ The biggest refit were with its engines, or more specifically its Slipspace Drive and FTL systems. The _Silver Streak's_ Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine clearly had a much longer range than any other vessel in the colonial fleet. Unlike colonial vessels that used their own FTL, the UNSC ships could continue going through Slipstream Space constantly, rather than jumping from one point to the next after each Jump, waiting to spool up the FTL drive for another Jump.

However, this came at a cost. Although Slipspace is perfect for long-distance travel, in short-range the Colonial FTL is better, considering their FTL drive is instantaneous, appearing at point A to point B in almost a blink of an eye. Although it is argued that Covenant Slipspace drives appear much faster than Human ones, it's clear that Colonial FTL is ideal for Short-range FTL travel.

But of course, this was where the Colonial Corps of Engineers, the Scrap Vultures, and Louise's own little team of Technicians, Engineers and soldiers of the UNSC that specialize in their own tech, come into play. Using the _Silver Streak _as a test-bed, they have begun testing hybridizing the Covenant Slipspace Drive, with the _Silver Streak's _Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, a Colonial FTL drive, and the CTP-Drive as well. Their ultimate goal was to make a fast, accurate, and effective FTL engine using what they had learned. As well as making sure the Slipspace drive does not suffer from the high maintenance problems as it has needed in the past.

In the last week, they had made several breakthroughs. And at long last, they had developed the ideal FTL System, which, in theory, could travel from their current location, all the way back to the 12 Colonies of Kobol in less than 12 hours, while maintaining perfect formation _and _with enough accuracy to jump them right above Caprica City in high orbit.

They knew this, because they had tried it, and came back just in time for dinner.

Although there were still some kinks in the overall work, as they still needed to reduce the amount of maintenance and repairs needed to keep it properly functioning, but that would all come at a different time. Once it was finished, they would begin planning on refitting the UNSC Frigates next, followed by the Colonial and Terran ships.

"_CAP birds, _Galactica_: we've had a couple of valve failures. We're restarting the unrep_." They were also refueling the ships that still needed tylium. "_That's just great. Hotdog, settle in. We're gonna be out here another three hours_."

Of course, this gas giant had a problem: it put out so much synchrotron radiation that DRADIS was completely useless. So that was why Ron and Jaden were flying on CAP with Hotdog and Starbuck. For the first time in over a year, Ron was back in a Viper (his old Mk III, which had been rebuilt after the debacle with the _Scylla _fleet) while Jaden had temporarily hijacked the Delta Gundam until his custom machine was finished. "If there is one thing I miss about being in a Viper, it's that I feel like I AM the Viper." Ron said, "The engines are my feet, the RCS thrusters are my legs and cannons are my fingers on the trigger of a gun."

As with all of Ron's Vipers, it was fit with two 30mm extender magazines on top of the wings, two 40mm flak gunpods and a combined 50mm autocannon and FTL drive pod under the fuselage. "_Yeah, I get the same feeling in a Mobile Suit,_" Jaden said, "_Its like a Mobile Suit is an extension of my own body. No offense Ron, but I'll stick with a M.S over a Viper._"

"You don't know what you're missing, kid!" Ron said with a light chuckle.

Hotdog's Mk II flipped over, flying upside down. "_Hotdog, what the hell are you doing_?" Starbuck asked.

"_Enjoying blue skies again._" Hotdog said, "_About the only thing I miss about New Caprica._" Seconds after Hotdog's declaration, Starbuck's Viper flipped onto its' back. "Stupid kids." Ron muttered, "I prefer the blackness of space and the stars to blue skies and clouds. What about you, Jaden?"

"_Mix of both really,_" Jaden said. "_I always get a sense of freedom when flying in space - its like there's no limit to where you can go and explore. While back on earth, nothing can really beat flying up in the clouds, using both speed and gravity too have the time of your life making your own personal air show._"

Suddenly, three of the four pilots spotted something they hadn't seen in weeks: a Heavy Raider. "Galactica,_ Starbuck. Showtime!_" She said, "_Bogey, my right-one. In the soup at 45. Committing!_"

"_Psycho, Starbuck: copy, I see your tuckey!_" Ron said, as the four craft turned, but only three of them spotted the Heavy Raider. "_Starbuck, Apollo: what do you got?_"

"_Apollo, we got one turkey playing hide and seek in the clouds, no sparrows, engaging offensive._"

"_Ron, Colonial fighter jargon is starting to confuse me again_." Jaden said, "_Care to translate?_"

"A turkey's a Heady Raider, sparrows are the normal ones!" Ron confirmed as he spotted the Heavy, then opened fire with the 50mm autocannon. "Missed! Frak, this bastard's got to be an ace!"

Then Starbuck entered his sights, forcing the elder pilot to break off, or else he would have hit Starbuck's Mk II. "Jaden, you're up!" Ron said, "Get above him and kill the bastard!" The Delta Gundam fired on the Heavy, but it dived into a storm, and neither MS pilot were willing to follow. Crazy and hooked into a Resurrection network they might have been, but they were not willing to dive into a storm akin to the Great Red Spot on Jupiter. Starbuck, on the other hand, dove in, following the Heavy. After a few minutes, she finally came back out of the storm.

"About time you came to your senses, Starbuck. RTB:" Ron Said, "We're heading back to _Galactica_." Ron turned his Mk III toward the massive Battlestar, and Jaden turned the Delta Gundam to follow him. Starbuck, after a few seconds, then followed the two MS pilots back to their home ship.

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica**_** - Pilot's briefing room - 30 minutes later**

* * *

"Godsdamn it, it has to be there." Ron said, as Athena shook her head "We watched it twice already-"

Starbuck looked at Athena. "Then this isn't my gun camera film." She declared.

"Besides Commanders Takeo and Pinkerton, no one else pulled trigger all day, and those aren't 50mm cannon rounds." Helo said as he shook his head. "We checked _Galactica's _DRADIS records against the ones in our Raptor. There was no ping on your Cylon at all."

"And we all know that DRADIS can be wonky near this planet, Karl." Jaden said, as he and Ron, who both saw the Raider, were more supportive. "Maybe the Raider jumped away before you opened fire?"

Racetrack was less then amused. "Or maybe it never existed to begin with." She muttered, before Ron pushed a button on the remote control, and another set of gun cam footage appeared. It was clearly Ron's, as the larger 50mm cannon rounds streamed from the belly-mounted cannon at a Heavy Raider that was dodging every round. And it was in the atmosphere of the gas giant they were orbiting. "Then explain THAT, Lieutenant!" Ron said, "Our gun cams clearly show a Heavy that we ALL shot at!"

"I'm not denying that, sir." Racetrack said, "I'm just saying that Starbuck's footage ain't making sense."

Jaden shook his head "This doesn't make any sense," he said. "We all saw that Heavy Raider, yet Starbuck's camera is the only one that doesn't pick up a thing? Something ain't right here." he then glanced at Ron "Say Ron, is there any way Cylons or someone else could alter Gun Camera footage or something like that?"

"Not inside a Viper while it was in flight, and we brought that footage straight here." He said as he looked at the projected image on the wall, showing the Heavy Raider dodging his shots. He then groaned, as his hand move too his head "I'm getting a headache. And the only times I get a headache now are when something makes no fraking sense or something involving Newtypes is going on." He muttered. "And I'm not sure which is applicable here." He looked at Jaden. "Let's get back to the _Sydney_. I'd like to get your new machine finished before we leave this gas giant behind. It might get rid of my headache, too."

"Missing the Delta Gundam?" Jaden asked with a teasing smirk.

"I've flown it for over two years." Ron said, "Of course I miss it." Starbuck kept staring at the footage as everyone else left.

* * *

**Battlestar Sydney - Workshop**

* * *

In the center of the _Sydney's _workshop was the near-completed Mobile Suit which would become Jaden's new 'death machine'. It was obviously a Gundam-type with the V Head crest and other features, however it looked... different from other M.S from Earth. It had been given a more curved and elegant appearance, colored white with Dark Blue and Gold along its shoulders and torso area, and the head itself was also more elegant, with a Double-V head crest. The most notable feature were its wings, a pair of golden Gardanium-plated wings on the back of the M.S, almost looking like the wings of a bird.

"So, you think Starbuck's losing it?" Jaden asked. Ron scoffed as he continued to refine the new design of the CDF-01C Dart and the TCDF-01C Trainer Dart, which were the first models to use the Minovsky Drive from the start rather then being refits, on a nearby computer terminal. "Cottle told me she's physically fit, but an emotional basket case." He said, "In peace time, he'd ground us all. And he wouldn't blink for either of us. We're crazier then she is."

"Good thing we're not at peace, then." Jaden said with a shrug

"Hey, Cain said the same thing after the Fall." Ron warned, "Don't quote her. How's Rhea?"

"She's fine." Jaden said, "We're expecting the delivery any day now, we've been preparing everything. Taking care of a baby's gonna be a lot of work, you know."

"I was Rei's babysitter, kid." Ron said, "I KNOW how much of a pain in the ass a baby is at first." He got up, climbing onto the Gundam's legs. "I've got good news. The boys on the _Vulcan_ just got finished on the X01A's frame and armor."

Jaden popped his head out of the cockpit. "The Morgan?"

"Yup." Ron said, "Had to change the meaning of the model number, though. It's shorthand for Advanced Colonial Defense Fighter Experimental now, seeing as it's a Colonial technology demonstrator."

Jaden chuckled. "So now it's ACDF-X01A." He said, but Ron shook his head "Nope. Still ADF-X01A. Eight numbers and letters is a bit extreme. Seven we can tolerate." Ron got onto the torso, checking the reactor. "In a few hours, we can take this thing out for a test flight."

Jaden nodded, but before he could answer too that, his phone went off. He quickly answered "Yo!" He said, "What's happen-" he then stopped as he blinked "Athena? What's going on-" he was cut off as Ron could hear a few shouts, as Jaden's eyes widened "R-Right now?" He asked, "Oh shit! I-I'll be there ASAP!" He then hung up the phone "Ohshitohshitohshitohshit!"

Ron raised an eyebrow as Jaden began running around the hangar, collecting things "What's up?" He asked.

"Its time!" Jaden shouted, "Rhea's water broke! Their taking her to the hospital now! Shit, I need to get to the Garden of Thorns Now!"

Ron grabbed the father-to-be and dragged him, at rather high speed, to the port flight pod and hijacking a Raptor. "I know I am going to regret this." He muttered.

"Regret what?!" Jaden asked, before he realized what Ron was doing. He was spinning up the FTL drive and plotting a jump. INSIDE THE SHIP! "Ron, DON'T!"

"CLEAR THE DECK! And get the DC teams ready!" Ron shouted, as the hatch closed, and Ron pushed the button. Everything within 7 feet of the Raptor was torn apart, but lucky no equipment was damaged or destroyed and no one was hurt. The Raptor reappeared above the medical facility inside the Garden rather than the hanger.

"What the hell were you THINKING?!" Jaden shouted.

"Getting the father to the birth of his child." Ron said, "I know this doesn't seem like much, but Rhea's technically my niece since my father created the 0005s, who helped create her line. That makes me your uncle-in-law, if you want to think about it. That means I will do anything for family. That also gives me the chance to say 'screw this up, and your hide will hang from my office door'. Not that you will, of course: you're better then that."

Jaden paled, knowing Ron was serious. "Uh..."

"Relax. Get your ass to the delivery room." Ron said smirking "That baby needs its' father." The hatch opened, and Ron kicked him out of the Raptor. "GO!"

* * *

_**Meanwhile**_

_**Inside the Hospital**_

* * *

Athena was in the Hospital waiting room, Rhea was just taken into the Hospital for the delivery, but she had to stay behind to wait for Jaden to show up. Considering he was on the _Sydney, _it would likely take him some time to get-

"Athena! Where's Rhea?" Jaden suddenly ran up to her, causing Athena to jump in surprise looking at Jaden in shock. "Jaden?" She asked, "How did you get here so fast?"

"Ron," Jaden said, that alone answering her question as she 'ah'ed. "Where's Rhea?"

"She was just taken to the Delivery room," Athena said, "Her water broke about 30 minutes ago, let's be thankful her labor isn't going to be a difficult as mine was..."

Jaden nodded, knowing that thanks to _Atlantis II's_ know-how with Humanoid Cylons, that little error was fixed "Come on, follow me." Athena said, grabbing Jaden's wrist as she showed him the way too the room Rhea was giving birth.

* * *

_**Later, Delivery Room**_

* * *

"_AAAAAAHHHHH!_" Rhea shouted as she followed the doctor's instructions as she pushed as hard as she could. Jaden and Athena were by her side, holding her hands as her grip tightened more after each push. Jaden was silently glad he had Gardanium bones now, otherwise he thought they would break from her grip.

"Come on Rhea, almost got it." Jaden said, "Just push!"

Rhea panted a bit, before she took as deep a breath she could, before she cried out as she made one more push. And just a few later, they were all welcome with the sound of a newborn's cry "Its a boy!" The doctor announced.

Rhea sighed as she rested, a few moments later the doctor came by, a bundle in her arms as she handed her Rhea's newborn son. Jaden was right next to her, as he saw his son for the first time as well. "He... he's beautiful..." Rhea said tiredly, as the baby continued to cry.

Jaden himself smiled, "A son... I'm finally a dad..." he said. He glanced at Rhea "We did a damn good Job, hu?"

Rhea smiled a bit, and nodded as she caressed their newborn son's cheek "Yeah... we did..." She said, "So... what are we gonna... name him?"

Jaden hummed in thought for a moment, before he smiled a bit "How about... Lukas?" He asked.

Rhea thought about it for a moment, before she smiled and nodded "Lukas... yes..." She said, looking at Lukas within her arms. "My little Lukas..."

Jaden's phone started ringing, and he answered. "Takeo." He said.

"_Jaden...we're got a problem._" Jaden's eyes widened at the sound of Ron's voice.

"What happened?" He asked, "What's going on?"

"_It's Starbuck. She...It's best that you see it for yourself._" Ron said, "_It can wait, though._" Jaden looked at his baby son and his exhausted wife.

"Right. I'll see you in a few hours." He said before he hung up. "What's going on?" Rhea said.

"It's Ron." Jaden said, "He said something happened to Starbuck. Maybe she's finally lost it and had to be confined to quarters."

"I wouldn't doubt it." Rhea said with a small chuckle.

"He said it could wait, though." Jaden said, with a smile "I guess he wants us to spend some time together."

"He may be insane, but he's a family man." Rhea said smiling "He'll literally kill anyone who would interfere with family."

"Yeah, and he considers you his niece." Jaden pointed out, causing Rhea blinked. "Really?"

"His father made the 0005s, they and the Final Five helped make the organic Cylons-"

"I get it." Rhea said, chuckling a bit "He's screwed in the head, but it works."

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica**_** - Pilot's Briefing Room - 8 hours later**

* * *

When Jaden walked into the briefing room, he wasn't expecting Ron to be watching gun camera footage. "_They're waiting for me._" Starbuck's voice was heard, before the dark screen then showed a bright explosion. "_No! No!_"

"Is this what you were talking about?" Jaden asked, as Ron snorted.

"She dove into the storm." Ron said, "Hit the hard deck. Didn't even bother ejecting."

Jaden blinked in confusion. "She's dead?" He asked.

"Happened while Rhea was giving birth." Ron said, shaking his head "That's irony for you. A life comes in, a life goes out." The Mk II exploded on the screen for the upteenth time, with Apollo screaming in outrage. "I met Adama a few minutes later. You know that model ship he was building?"

"Yeah, I've seen it."

"He wrecked it." Ron said, "Took him five years to build it and 10 seconds to nearly destroy it."

The phone in the corner buzzed, and Ron paused the footage to get out of his seat and pick it up. "Pinkerton." He said. A few moments passed before the Commander blinked. "What? Son of a bitch. About time they pulled in people who knew what they were doing. We'll be there." He hung up the phone. "Baltar's trial is in less then a week. And we've been called as key witnesses."

Jaden shook his head. "Why us?" He asked.

"Our technical knowledge, mostly." Ron said, "I discovered the oddities in the CNP a few days before the Fall, but didn't realize what they did until the shit hit the fan. And both of us saw how incompetent the bastard was as President."

"The judges are going to have a field day." Jaden said.

"That's the best part." Ron said smirking "Admiral Adama's been picked as one of the five judges. As of now, he now owns one fifth of Baltar's skinny ass."

Jaden chuckled a bit "Sounds good to me," he said. "What about the other four fifths? What do we know about the other judges?"

"Captain Franks is in charge of the whole thing, seeing as this is a civilian matter, but the Captains of the _Pyxis _and _Gideon _are also there." Ron said, "I don't know about the other two." The Commander fastened his uniform jacket. "And then there's problem number two. Lee's going to be assisting the defense. Bill was NOT pleased."

"I can see why." Jaden said, but before either could speak another word, they heard a massive explosion. "Frak!" Ron shouted, as both ran out of the briefing room, then spotted Alan Hughes, Baltar's lawyer, on the deck, clearly dead. "What the hell?" Jaden shouted, "When-who-"

"That doesn't matter, kid." Ron said, "This just means that _Galactica_ isn't safe for anyone trying to defend Baltar. Besides, we need to get to the _Sydney_. They finished fitting the reactor to your machine, and no one wants to turn it on without you being there."

"Nice of them."

"I ordered them not to."

* * *

**Battlestar Sydney - 24 hours later**

* * *

With many delays thanks to the bombing, the pair had finally arrived and were getting Jaden's new machine on the catapult.

Jaden was in the cockpit, putting in last minute adjustments to the O.S to suit it perfectly for him. "All systems are go," Jaden said. "Weapons, Oxygen, engines...she's good."

"_Commander Takeo, your clear for launch._" The Launch operator said. Jaden grinned as he nodded.

"Jaden Takeo, RX-328 Heroic Gundam, Let's rock and roll!" He shouted, as the Heroic Gundam launched from the catapult, and into space. Its wings lighting up as its CTP system activated propelling it forward at incredible speeds.

"She's doing good," Jaden said, "Frame is holding, speed is above what we speculated." He grinned even more "She's freaking perfect."

"_Alright, Jaden. Let's test your weapons._" Ron said, "_I'm heading out in the Beta Dart, and since you gave this thing an I-field generator pod, you can fire as much as you want._" Ron's aforementioned test Dart launched from the _Sydney_, and slowed to give Jaden a few shots at it.

"Weird way to test beam weapons." Jaden commented.

"_We do this with Vipers all the time._"

"Towing decoy targets that can take a pounding, not taking the shots themselves." Jaden said.

"_Well, if the I-field works, I have nothing to worry about._" Jaden shrugged and opened fire. The beam was deflected, as hoped. "It worked!"

"_Time to test your targeting sensors._" Ron said, "_Let's see if you can hit me if I'm flying at high speed!_" The Beta Dart's wings swept back, and the afterburners kicked in. As it wasn't carrying weapons, all of the Beta Dart's power was going straight to the Minovsky drive, making it a speedy bastard. Hence, Jaden had a hard time tracking it with his eyes, let alone his weapons. "Fuck it: going to manual!" He growled, as he finally managed to get the Beta Dart in his sights and fired, the beam hitting the I-field and doing no damage.

"_Nice shot._" Ron said, "_That would've hit my cockpit if it weren't for the I-field._" Jaden almost paled. He could've killed Ron. '_Just goes to show how much faith he's got in me._'

"_All Vipers and Mobile Suits, return to your ships._" Dualla reported on the comm, "_Fleet is preparing to jump._" Jaden looked at Galactica, which launched a Raptor that was heading for a cluster of asteroids. "Galactica, _Raptor 289. We're clear and in position for rear guard picket._"

"_Roger, 289er. Have fun watching our ass, Racetrack._" Jaden practically heard the smile in Racetrack's voice. "_Have fun watching Baltar's ass get nailed!_"

The Beta Dart headed toward _Galactica_. "Ron what-"

"_Trail's getting started in a few hours._" Ron said, "_We need to get on _Galactica." Jaden blinked before remembering that the trial was being held on _Galactica_. "Shit. I forgot!" He shouted, as he got the Heroic onto _Galactica_ seconds before the flight pods retracted and the ship jumped.

* * *

_**Later - **_**Galactica **

_**Baltar Trial - Courtroom**_

* * *

Jaden and Ron were now in the _Galactica's _Courtroom, where the Trial was about to start. Jaden was humming a tune as he waited. "What are you humming?" Ron asked.

"People's Court theme," Jaden answered, "Some 21st century show from before the U.C era - I got the damn song stuck in my head ever since we got in here."

"Well, I have another song stuck in my head." Ron said, "It's been playing EVERYWHERE. Problem is, I don't know the tune or the lyrics!"

"How the hell-"

"All rise!"

"Shit!" Ron cursed as Everyone stood as the judges entered the room and took their seats. "Please be seated." Doyle Franks, Captain of the _Prometheus_ said, "Prosecution, your opening statements, please."

Didi Cassidy walked toward a whiteboard. "How do we measure loss?" She asked, "How do we measure loss? We measure it in the faces of the dead. The faces that haunt our memories and our dreams. How do we measure loss? We measure it in our own faces. The ones we see in the mirror every day. Because it has marked each of us."

She glanced back at them all "So how do we measure loss?" She asked again, "When the scale of it becomes... too hard to absorb any other way, we use numbers. How many killed. How many maimed. How many missing. And when those numbers become too vast to comprehend, as they did two years ago, we had to turn it around. We began to count the living. Those of us who survived to continue the saga of the human race."

She wrote down a large seven digit number. "Eight million, fifty-two thousand and twenty nine." She said, "Eight million, fifty-two thousand and twenty nine is the sum total of survivors from the Twelve Colonies who settled on New Caprica with President Gaius Baltar as their leader and protector." Then she wrote down another number. "Seven million, nine hundred thousand and eighty. That was the population of New Caprica City. That is how many would have died if it were not for the 13th Tribe, making plans to save us all in case the Cylons returned. And they did."

She looked across the courtroom "The citizens of the Twelve Colonies entrusted their fates and the lives to Gaius Baltar." She said, "Instead, he did nothing. He left the city the day the Cylons came. Today, humanity holds him accountable for his crime. Gaius Baltar is not a victim. Gaius Baltar chose to side with the Cylons and to actively seek the deaths of his fellow citizens. For that... he must pay the ultimate price."

Cassidy left the floor, and Romo Lampkin, Baltar's new lawyer, took the stage. "Your honors, the defense would like to change our plea to guilty." He said.

The gallery had one thought, and Jaden voiced it. "What the fuck?" He shouted.

Franks looked at him. "What?" He asked, "Counselor, are you sure you want to do that?"

Lampkin shrugged. "No." He said, "But what choice do I have? I mean, it's obvious my client is guilty. He's a traitor and a killer. He's no better than the Cylon, and what do we do with them?"

Ron answered for him. "Throw 'em out the airlock!" He shouted, and Lampkin nodded. "That's right!" He said, "Throw 'em out the airlock! This man sold us to our enemy. This man is our enemy. And if there's one thing that's good in war, that is right and just and proper, it's slaughtering our enemy! Getting some righteous payback! What are we waiting for? Let's just kill him now! It'd be easier, wouldn't it? Simpler. Justice of the mob. It's what they want."

At that moment, Roslin came in and sat down. "Especially her." He said, pointing at the president "She's been wanting this for over a year now. Ever since he beat her in a free and fair election of the people. Now she gets a chance to exact her revenge upon a man whose only real crime is bowing to the inevitable! Gaius Baltar saved the lives of the people on New Caprica. Where Laura Roslin would've seen us all dead, victims of a battle we had no hope in winning! I don't know about you, but I'm glad she wasn't the president when the Cylons arrived and said, 'Surrender, or die.'" He then stepped back, "The defense rests for now, Your Honors."

"Prosecution, call your first witness." Adama said, and Cassidy nodded and called out for her version of a nuclear warhead. "I call Commander Ronald Pinkerton to the stand."

Jaden patted Ron on the shoulder. "Give him hell." He said, as Ron got up and walked to the stand. "Do you-"

"Look, let's skip the bullshit, ok?" Ron said, "I'm here to answer your questions, so let's just get this over with." He sat in the hotseat. "Well?"

Cassidy blinked. "Alright, Commander." She said, "Where were you the day of the Attacks on the Colonies?"

"Aboard the Battlestar _Mercury_, repairing damage taken from a sabotaged drone." He said, "I remember it as if it were yesterday."

She nodded. "In your own words, please tell us what you discovered in the weeks following up to the attacks." She said.

"I was working on a puzzle." Ron said, "The Command Navigation Program, or CNP."

"Who wrote this CNP?" Cassidy asked.

"Gaius Baltar, with assistance from the Cylon currently in the brig." Ron answered.

"And you know this, how?"

"Commander Takeo and I interrogated her when we captured her." Ron explained, "She was seeing Baltar, seducing him so she could gain access to the defense grid and to rewrite the CNP to create a backdoor to shut down the entire Fleet."

Lampkin raised a hand. "Objection, Your Honors: hostile witness."

"Overruled," Franks said, nodding at Cassidy "Continue."

Cassidy nodded "How did you know Caprica Six rewrote the CNP without Baltar's knowing?" She asked.

"I doubt she did it without his knowledge, Ms Cassidy." Ron said, "She was sleeping with him, after all."

"Either way, how could you tell the CNP was not fully written by Baltar in the first place?" She asked.

"Because I had worked with Baltar before on the Legacy Project." Ron answered, "The lines of code were...sloppy, to say the least. I eventually kicked him out and we did it in-house."

"And... what proof do you have that this Humanoid Cylon is the same one that rewrote the CNP?" She asked, "How do you know she isn't lying?"

"Because while the Cylons hate humanity almost as much as we hate them, they respect their ultimate creators." He said, "In my case, my father, Kevin Pinkerton, who created the 0005s. She answered our questions truthfully."

Cassidy nodded "No more questions," she said as she stepped aside, and Lampkin stepped forward.

"Commander Pinkerton," he said, "Tell me, what do you think of the former president?"

"He's an incompetent fool." Ron said, "We were on the verge of getting closer to Earth." He glared at Baltar. "And he throws it away for settling on a planet that could not be defended. However, my feelings about Dr. Baltar are irrelevant to this trial, Mr. Lampkin. And you KNOW it."

Lampkin winced, knowing that Ron had a point. "Did you and Commander Takeo leave my client behind on New Caprica?" He asked.

"He left the city for unknown reasons." Ron said, "Saving him would have cost millions of lives if we stayed for more than a few minutes."

Lampkin scowled. "Did you consider my client a traitor, Commander?"

"Objection! Defense council is badgering the witness!"

"She's got a point, Mr. Lampkin." Adama said, "Rephrase the question."

Ron scoffed. "No need." He said, "Under the Military Code of Justice, Colonial Fleet edition circa UC 0051, Dr. Gaius Baltar would have been taken and shoved out an airlock for treason. But that's the military code of justice, not civilian. And Baltar is a civilian. And so he's being tried under civilian laws."

Lampkin sighed. He lost. "No more questions for the witness." He said.

"Very well." Adama said, "Witness is excused." Ron got up, then spotted a Six in a red dress behind Baltar. "Frak. I'm losing my mind." He muttered as he reached Jaden.

Jaden blinked as he looked at Ron "What is it?" He asked. Ron sighed as he sat down next to his friend. "You remember that Six in a red dress?" He asked, and Jaden nodded "Now I'm seeing her."

Jaden looked surprised, as he glanced over at Baltar, and sure enough the Red-dressed Six was there once again, whispering into Baltar's ear. "Who the hell is she..." Jaden muttered, "I'm starting to doubt she's simply an implant in Baltar's mind..."

Then a song started filtering into their ears. "Too much confusion." Ron said, "We need to go."

Ron left the makeshift courtroom, followed by Jaden. "Too much confusion?" He asked.

"I don't know why I said that." Ron said, "I'm just getting an ear splitting headache. There's gotta be some kinda way out of here."

"When was the last time you got any sleep, Ron?" Jaden asked. When the elder officer didn't answer, Jaden knocked him out and dragged him somewhere near the pilot's briefing room.

"Something's going on." Jaden muttered, "And I don't like it one bit." It was going to be a long two months, that was for sure.

* * *

**Three weeks later - Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**courtroom**

* * *

Taking over for Lampkin was Lee Adama himself, who had resigned his commission as commander of _Pegasus_. "Madam President, aren't you alive today because of Gaius Baltar?" He asked, "Wasn't it Baltar who saved your life when you were dying from cancer?"

Cassidy looked at the judges. "Relevance?"

"Uh, your honors…" He began, but Lampkin decided to save Apollo's sorry ass. "Hostile witness, your honors." He said, "If the court would grant us just a little latitude."

Franks shrugged. "We'll allow it."

"Thank you."

Apollo fumbled a little. "Um... did Gaius Baltar save your life when you were dying from cancer?" He asked, and Roslin nodded. "Dr. Baltar's scientific knowledge did save my life indeed." She said, "But then again, he came up with the same idea as Commanders Pinkerton and Takeo."

"Can you be more specific?" Apollo asked, "How did he save your life on that occasion?" Roslin answered without hesitation. "He injected me with the blood of a half-Cylon, half-human baby."

Both men winced. "THAT is going to bite her in the ass." Ron muttered.

"And your cancer vanished." Apollo said, and Roslin nodded. "Completely."

"During your illness, what sort of medication were you on?" Apollo asked next, and Jaden wondered where Apollo was going with this. Roslin shrugged. "You know, I was taking a lot of medications at the time, and I don't remember all their names." She said.

"Did you take something called chamalla extract?" Apollo asked. And suddenly, Ron's eyes widened. And Jaden saw this. "What?" He asked.

"Isn't it true that one of the side effects of taking chamalla is a propensity to experience hallucinations?" Apollo continued, but Roslin didn't flinch.

"Yes, that is one of the possible side effects of chamalla." She said, and Apollo pressed her "And isn't it also true that the visions that you once described as messages from the Gods were actually the result of a pharmacological reaction from taking chamalla?"

Jaden looked at Ron. "Is he-"

"He is."

"The chamalla did enable me to see certain things that were foretold by the scriptures." Roslin said, "Things that will help this fleet find its way to Earth. You of all people should know that, _Commander_."

Cassidy stood up "Your Honors-"

Franks looked at Apollo. "Mr. Adama, where are you going with this?" She asked.

"Just one more question, your honor." Apollo said, "Madam President, are you taking chamalla at this time?"

Ron shook his head in disgust, but it was all directed at Apollo. "Chamalla, Madam President." Apollo said, "Perhaps dissolved in your tea to mask the bitterness?"

THAT touched a nerve. Adama looked at Roslin. "Don't answer." He said, "I'm putting a stop to this right now."

Apollo faced the judges. "Your honors, if she is on drugs, it goes to her credibility as a witness." He said.

"Witness is dismissed!" Frank said, as Lampkin took advantage of Adama's protectiveness. "Your honors, I have to strongly object." He said, "He's obviously trying to cover something up here."

Adama looked at Lampkin. "One more word from you, and you'll both be held for contempt." He snapped. Never piss off William Adama. It'll be the end of you.

"Admiral! I'd like to hear the witness answer the question." Tarney said, as Franks nodded, agreeing with the man. "As would I."

Apollo finally asked the question. "Madam President, are you taking chamalla again?" He asked.

Roslin glared at him. "Yes, I am." She said, and Apollo, seemingly happy with his victory, turned away. "No further questions." He said.

Roslin, however...

"Mr. Adama, aren't you going to ask me why?" She asked suddenly, as Apollo looked back at her confused. "I'm sorry?"

"Why am I taking chamalla again?" Roslin repeated. Apollo shrugged. "It's not strictly relevant." He said.

Roslin then drove a nail into his argument. "Well, perhaps it's not relevant to _you_, but it's relevant to _me_." She said, "Go ahead. Ask me why. Finish what you started."

Apollo sighed as he rolled his eyes a bit. "Why are you taking the chamalla again, Madam President?" He asked.

Cue the bombshell. "I am taking chamalla again because my cancer has returned." She said, and with that statement everyone in the courtroom gasped, and Jaden and Ron's eyes widened.

"Frak/Fuck." They both said at the same time, before Jaden said "And after all that trouble we went through just to get _rid _of it?"

"It's like the Cavils." Ron said, "No matter how many times you kill them they just keep COMING BACK." Ron shook his head, leaving the room. And Jaden knew Ron's walks by now. He had a different one for different situations. This one was 'religious mindfrakery'. And he was naturally curious as to WHY Ron had a mindfuck. "Ron?" He asked as he followed Ron outside the courtroom, where he was leaning against a wall.

"Jaden, have you read the scriptures?" Ron asked, as the SOF/Scrap Vulture commander shook his head. "Nope." He said.

"'And thus shall it come to pass. The Dying Leader shall know the truth of the Opera House, the demons nipping at their feet. Death and rebirth at the Promised Land'." Ron rehearsed, and the CCE head chuckled. "Scroll of Pythia, Final Verse, Line 315."

While impressed with the Colonial man's ability to quote the scriptures from memory, Jaden missed the point. "So?" He asked.

"Context. Roslin is a leader. She's dying from cancer. The Cylons, the demons of the Colonies, are nipping at our feet. Am I making any sense NOW?"

Jaden shrugged "When you put it THAT way..." He said.

"I'm going to talk to Gaeta." Ron said, "I need to find out how many jumps we are from the Ionian Nebula. And I'm going to try to convince someone to make headache pills that DON'T suppress Newtype powers, because that fraking song is DRIVING ME INSANE!"

At that moment, Jaden heard static, as if someone was tuning a radio. He blinked, as he could swear he then heard a song was playing, but he couldn't make out the tune nor the lyrics. Yet it still sounded vaguely familiar to him. Ron noticed that Jaden was trying to focus on it, and groaned "Oh, great, you can hear it, too, don't you?" He asked.

"No reason to get excited, Ron. I-" Jaden began, before both men paused. "Oh, SHIT." He said. Both of them were losing what was left of their minds.

"Ok. YOU are going to CIC and talking with Gaeta." Jaden said, "I'm going to see my wife." Ron nodded, obviously terrified. He was nuts, but he didn't want to get any crazier. He was happy being insane, but sane enough to know it.

"Yeah..." Ron said, "What are you gonna do?"

"Well, while with Rhea and Lukas... I'm gonna find out where I heard that song before!" Jaden shouted, "I _know _I heard it somewhere before, and its killing me that I can't put my finger on it!"

* * *

**Battlestar **_**Galactica - **_**Courtroom - 1 week ago**

* * *

Now it was Jaden's turn on the hotseat. "Commander Takeo, do you have a commission in the Colonial Fleet?" Lampkin asked.

"No." Jaden said, "Ron considers me the CCE's new field marshal, but I haven't been given a formal commission."

"When you met then-Major Pinkerton, what did he tell you about the Cylons?" Lampkin asked next.

"Everything he knew about them at the time." He answered.

"Did he allude that Doctor Baltar was a traitor to humanity?" He asked, and Cassidy raised his hand. "Objection!" She shouted, "Prosecution is leading the witness!"

"Sustained." Adama said, and Jaden shook his head. "No." He said, answering Lampkin's question "If anything, he thought Baltar was fooled by the Cylons, just like everyone else."

"Commander Takeo," he said next, "Tell me... you and Commander Pinkerton believe Mr. Baltar was fooled by the Cylons, yes? If that was the case, then why did Baltar side with the Cylons on the Algae planet, just a few months ago? Clearly this is a sign that he is a traitor. Yet, do you believe that the defendant deserves a fair trial?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Jaden said, drawing a few mummers from the court.

"Why?" Lampkin asked.

"What? Aside that everyone deserves a fair trial, I believed that he's not guilty for _every _charge before the court." Jaden said.

"Why do you believe that the defendant, Gaius Baltar, deserves to be acquitted?" Lampkin asked, "He has clearly shown that he has worked with the Cylons intentionally!"

"Well, because the evidence does not support the charges." Jaden said, "The Cylons at the Algae planet could've easily just let loose their whole nuclear arsenal upon the Fleet and we'd barely be able to stop them. Yet they didn't. If Baltar had really sided with the Cylons, he would've just told them to wipe us all out right then and there."

Jaden then leaned back "Did the defendant make mistakes?" He asked, "Sure, he did. Serious mistakes. But did he actually commit any crimes? Did he commit treason? I doubt so. On New Caprica, we were in an impossible situation. If we had not of created the mobile colonies and evacuated what people we could, what could he have possibly done when the Cylons invaded? It was an impossible situation. If he had refused to surrender, the Cylons would've probably nuked the planet right then and there."

"So did he appear to cooperate with the Cylons? Sure. So did hundreds of others. What's the difference between him and them? The President issued a blanket pardon. They were all forgiven. No questions asked. President Roslin wanted Sharon Agathon to go through a forced abortion because she didn't want a half-Cylon/Human running around, forgiven. The Admiral? The Admiral instituted a military _coup d'etat_ against the President at Kobol. Forgiven. Lee Adama shot down a civilian passenger ship, the _Olympic Carrier_. Over a thousand people on board. Forgiven. He even raised a weapon to a superior officer, committed an act of mutiny. Forgiven. And then on the very day when Baltar surrendered to those Cylons, Lee Adama, as Commander of _Pegasus_, suggested to jump away, to leave the colony undefended! Even attempting to persuade the Admiral to never return. If he had it his way, if everyone had just up and ran, no one would of escaped the planet."

"He was a coward, he could of been a traitor, yet he was forgiven." Jaden continued. "I'd say we're very forgiving of mistakes. We make our own laws now, our own justice. We've been pretty creative at finding ways to let people off the hook for everything from theft to murder. And we've had to be. Because... Because we're not a civilization anymore. We are a gang. And we're on the run. And we have to fight to survive. We have to break rules. We have to bend laws. We have to improvise. But not this time, no. Not this time. Not for Gaius Baltar. No. You, you have to die. You have to die, because... Well, because we don't like you very much. Because you're arrogant. Because you're weak. Because you're a coward. And we the mob, we want to throw you out the airlock because you didn't stand up to the Cylons, and get yourself killed in the process. That's justice now. You should've been killed back on New Caprica, but since you had the temerity to live, we're gonna execute you now. That's justice!"

The entire court shouted, while Franks tried to bring order. When the court quieted down, Jaden continued "This case... This case is built on emotion. on anger, bitterness, vengeance." He said, "But most of all, it is built on shame. It's about the shame of what could have happened on that planet, And it's about the guilt of those of us who ran away. Who ran away. And we are trying to dump all that guilt and all that shame onto one man, and then flush him out the airlock and hope that that just gets rid of it all. So that we can live with ourselves. But that won't work. That won't work. That's not justice. Not to me, at least."

He then glared at Baltar "Don't get me wrong, I am _not _defending him," he said, "I hate Baltar about as much as everyone else here... but if we deny him a fair trial, then it might not stop there. We'll start airlocking anyone who we 'don't like'."

In the corner of his eye, he saw Ron slightly shaking his head. But even if Ron didn't like it, either way, Baltar was screwed and they both knew it. No one would want him, and it was a good long while to the end of the trial anyways.

"Prosecution rests." Lampkinsaid, and Cassidy didn't bother getting up. "No questions for the witness."

As Jaden left the hotseat, he spotted Ron smirking as he walked over. "You're not happy with me." He said, simply.

"In my eyes, Baltar's a treasonous bastard that needs to get shoved into a nuclear reactor." Ron said, "Then again, I'm an practical pragmatist, you're an idealist who can see the big picture at times." He shrugged "Either way, someone will deal with the bastard and I will not be shedding one tear. He's not getting any relief."

Jaden blinked "Ok, that's getting freaky." He said, "You're quoting a song you've never heard. I sure as hell haven't heard it."

Ron shrugged. "I blame it on the Newtype powers."

"Touche`."

**Battlestar **_**Galactica **_**- Courtroom - 2 weeks later**

It was the endgame for Baltar's trial. And even if Baltar was going to survive THIS trial, many in the CCE were hellbent on seeing the bastard go down. And Baltar was responsible for giving the Cylons information on the Lion's Head Nebula, not to mention he was responsible, directly or indirectly, for the deaths of over 75 million men and women in the regular Colonial Fleet during the Fall of the Colonies. And a military trial would be cut-and-dry. Baltar wouldn't get any sympathy or help. Of course, that was IF he wasn't found guilty in this trial.

Franks addressed the court. "Before I read the verdict, I'd like to make one thing clear." He said, "Like everything human, justice is imperfect. It's flawed. But it's those very imperfections that separates us from the machines. And maybe even makes us a species worth saving. The defendant will rise. Gaius Baltar, after carefully weighing the evidence, this tribunal, in a vote of three to two, finds you not guilty."

And that created a massive shitfest as the crowd went crazy, trying to either kill or at least maim the former President of the Colonies. Surprisingly, Vice-Admiral Sasha Urei was not one of them. She managed to drag Baltar out of the courtroom before they could kill him.

"I know your not happy about this Ron," Jaden said, "But even you have to admit this was an unfair trial - almost everyone here just wanted to see him dead. And Baltar didn't intentionally kill anyone... not too mention this gives us a chance to find out who the hell that Red dressed six we keep seeing around him is."

Ron shook his head. "Baltar's troubles aren't over yet." He said "He screwed with the regular Fleet thanks to the CNP. Indirectly or not, he's responsible for 75 million deaths. And those are all military."

"Meaning?" Jaden asked, and Ron shook his head. "Do you know what the term JAG means?" He asked.

Jaden facepalmed. "First the civilians, now the military?" He asked, "That's not exactly fair."

"Look, I don't like it either, but he did give military intelligence to the Cylons." Ron said, "That technically is treason and it puts Baltar inside military jurisdiction. They wouldn't have found the Lion's Head Nebula and the Algae Planet without his help."

Ron had a point there. "He could've been tortured." Jaden suggested, but Ron scoffed. "Yuna broke him in FIVE minutes." He said, "The Cylons didn't need to torture him. But that's for later. Let's get to CIC: we've got a jump to make."

Both men left the courtroom and made their way to CIC. "Find out what that fraking song is?" He asked, but Jaden shook his head. "No luck." He said, "It's familiar, but every time I reach for it, it floats away."

They reached CIC, where Roslin and Adama were talking. "'Gaius Baltar is innocent'." Roslin said, shaking her head "Just the sound of that makes my skin crawl."

Adama shrugged. "Not guilty is not the same as innocent." He said.

"It must've been particularly difficult for you." Roslin said, "What, you just... couldn't get the other two guys to budge?" Then their eyes met. "You voted for his acquittal, didn't you?"

Adama nodded. "I hate to say it. Defense made their case, the prosecution didn't." He admitted, and Roslin shook her head. "Gaius Baltar is a traitor." She said, "We both know that. Regardless of the outcome of this trial."

"No one's asking anyone to forget." Adama said, "Or to forgive. But we have to look to the future." Adama then spotted Jaden and Ron. "Gentlemen."

"Yes, sir." Ron said.

"Commence jump prep." He said, "We're going to the Ionian Nebula." Ron looked at Dualla. "Start the clock. Spool up FTL drives."

"Aye, sir." She said, "Jump coordinates have been distributed, sir. All Fleet ships show green for jump formation delta." Adama nodded. "Initiate jump."

"Aye, sir. Jumping in three, two, one... jump."

The Fleet jumped into the gas cloud known as the Ionian Nebula. "Jump complete. All Fleet ships reporting in, sir." Gaeta said.

"Very well, Mr. Gaeta." Adama said, "Commence DRADIS scan. Let's see what's out there." At that moment, though, everything literally went black as power was cut throughout the ship.

"SITREP!" Adama shouted.

"Our sensors show major power fluctuations!" Gaeta shouted, "Checking on Fleet!"

"Sir, Jaden and I should-" Ron begaun, but Adama, knowing Ron and Jaden could fix whatever was going on, didn't bother letting them finish. "Do it!" He shouted, and both ran from CIC but didn't get very far when something directed them elsewhere.

"_There must be some way out of here..._"

"_...Said the joker to the thief..._"

Ron and Jaden looked at one another. "Ron, did you just hear-"

"_...There's too much confusion..._"

"_...I can't get no relief._"

They let themselves be directed, and they entered a CQB training room. Inside were Samuel Anders, Galen Tyrol and Tory Foster. "What the frak?" Ron asked, as Tory looked at the two Commanders. "This isn't happening." She said, sounding paniced "Please tell me this isn't happening!"

Tyrol shook his head. "So that's it." He said, "After all this time. A switch goes off, just like that."

Another hatch opened, and in came Saul and Ellen Tigh. "Whoa!" Both of them said, while Anders shook his head. "No way. I don't believe this. I'm not buying this. This is a...This is a trick. Come on! We're not..."

"Me and Jaden aren't." Ron said as they all looked at Ron. "We tested ourselves with the detector. We're human."

Ellen looked at him. "Baltar-"

"Is a lying son of a bitch." Tigh said, as she looked back at her husband. "He did it to save his ass from Boomer."

Anders shook his head. "No, no, no. Not after all this." He said, "Not after the Resistance... After watching my friends die one after another? For frakking this?"

Tory approached Anders. "Sam..."

"You stay the hell away from me!" He shouted, "You all just stay the frak away from me."

Tyrol looked at Anders. "Sam, it's true." He said, "We're Cylons. And we have been from the start." Both Commanders spoke as one, identifying them. "You're the Final Five."

Everyone then looked at the two oddly "The... the Final Five?" Ellen asked, shocked. "How..."

"Alright, gonna say this right now..." Jaden said, "Out of all the people to be the FF... you five are _not _who I expected." Suddenly, Jaden blinked as he snapped his fingers "JIMI HENDRIX!" He shouted.

Everyone looked at Jaden in confusion. "Who?" The lights suddenly came back on before Jaden could answer. "That's convenient."

"_Action stations, action stations._" Gaeta's voice said through the intercom "_Set Condition one throughout the ship. This is not a drill. All Viper pilots report to Vipers immediately. Inbound Cylon Fleet...I repeat, action stations, action stations. Set Condition one throughout the ship. This is not a drill._"

"That's just creepy." Jaden said, "Now what?"

Tigh shook his head. "My name is Saul Tigh." He said, "I am an officer in the Colonial Fleet. Whatever else I am, whatever else it means, that's the man I want to be. And if I die today, that's the man I'll be." He ran out of the room, heading for CIC.

"We're under attack, people!" Ron shouted, "Get to your posts!" Everyone left the training room, heading for either their posts or their quarters, as as the case with Ellen. Ron and Jaden rushed to the hanger, where their Mobile Suits were waiting. Ron's machine, however, was not the golden Delta Gundam, but the white, black and red ADF-X01A Morgan in Waverider mode.

" Ron! The Morgan hasn't been tested yet!" Jaden shouted.

"Best way to test it is under combat conditions!" He retorted as he climbed into the cockpit, securing his helmet. Jaden sighed before he quickly boarded his own Gundam. Moments after they were secured, the hatches to their units shut and the two Mobile Suits were raised onto the catapult.

"Jaden Takeo, Heroic Gundam, launching!" The Heroic launched out, and the Morgan was secured to the catapult. "Psycho, Morgan, heading out!" The Morgan was launched into the black, followed by a Mk VII that followed them.

"Galactica, _Apollo. I'm in Viper 3._" Apollo said, "_I have a bogey at my ten. I'm gonna go check it out._" The Mk VII turned toward a cloud bank, followed by the Gundams.

"Something weird's going on." Jaden said, his eyes narrowed as his Newtype senses began acting up again.

"_Really, kid?_" Ron asked rhetorically, "_I hadn't noticed._" After a few seconds, the mystery contact flew up beside them. It was a shiny, spotless Mk II Viper. And flying it? "_Hi, Lee._"

All three gaped. Kara Thrace was flying the Viper! "_Kara?_"

The pilot once thought dead smirked "_Don't freak out. It really is me._" She said with a chuckle. "_It's gonna be okay. I've been to Earth. I know where it is. And I'm gonna take us there._"

"_Starbuck?_" Jaden asked, still sounding shocked "_You-how-wha... Da Fuck?_"

* * *

**Ron the True Fan: Best way to end a chapter: with someone's mind getting horribly SCREWED.**

**117Jorn: Yup, and with that we are finished with Season 3 of BSG, and onto Season 4, and the return to Earth!**

**Ron The True Fan: And now for my favorite part. (pauses) Shit, I forgot. Whose turn is it?**

**117Jorn: I think its mine, however today I am letting a friend of mine do the honors. Patriot, would you do the honors?**

**Patriot-112: *Grins* Boom. *Presses big red button, and on the screen showing 13 Cavils, the hatch opens and a swarm of WWZ Zombies charge in and rip the Cavil's apart* **

**Ron the True Fan: Jesus H. Christ. That's nasty.**

**117Jorn: And now you see why he's one of my friends, so until next time... Ja Ne!**


End file.
